In Other News
by LuxAmbrose
Summary: George and Kate return for their seventh year ready to juggle business, the newspaper, classes, and their relationship. But an uncertain future looms over them, fueled by the brewing war, and each must decide where their careers will take them and how they will choose to stand and fight. Sequel to Love and the Empty Broom Closet!
1. Prologue: In the City's Shadow

**A/N: It's here! The sequel to Love and the Empty Broom Closet is upon us. This leg of Kate's life story will carry us from the summer after GoF, through OotP, and into the beginings of HBP. It's going to be longer, deeper, and darker than LEBC was, but I think you'll really enjoy it!**

**Without further ado I give you the prologue to **_**In Other News**_**!**

**Disclaimer – I do not own Harry Potter, I do not own anything associated with it. I own Kate, Cara, Theo, Elise, and Ian. **

**In Other News**

Prologue: In the City's Shadow

December 15, 1997

New York City, New York

The rain finally stopped an hour before. But dark clouds hung over the city, wrapping around the tallest skyscrapers. Fog rose in misty swirls along the fairly empty streets as a single figure appeared out of thin air. The woman pulled the hood of her wool coat over her head, covering her hair. A pair of fierce grey eyes matched the gloomy weather overhead, and she curled her fingers around the collar of her coat, pulling it tighter against her neck. At just after midnight, the cold air sucked into her lungs, she could see her breath every time she exhaled.

Kate Kelley paused for a fraction of a second to take in her surroundings before she took off towards the docks. Half-hidden in the shadows between streetlights, she jogged towards the outer wall of a large, vacant warehouse. Several similar buildings lined the dock that looked out over the Hudson river. The nasty pre-Christmas cold snap dulled the river's normally unpleasant draft. Behind her, the Manhattan skyline jutted up from the earth, the lights blotted out and dimmed by the fog and mist. Every so often, the woman stopped and pressed herself along the walls of a building, peering around corners and checking for any other signs of life.

At last she came to a narrow lane and at the end she could see two silhouettes at the end, right near the dock's drop off into the frigid water. She took one look behind her and then took off, jogging until she reached the two men. Ian Haynes gave her a half-grin and she clapped him on the shoulder as she came to a halt, right next to Finn Devlin. "Sorry I'm late," she muttered under her breath. "Samuel Reyes pulled me into the layout meeting that wouldn't end."

Both men hissed in sympathy. Finn patted her on the back and walked a few paces away from her. Ian shrugged his shoulders and readjusted his white-knuckled grip on his wand.

Kate bounced uncomfortably on her heels, pushing the rubber soles of her combat boots into the ground. Her nervous movement caused the sweep of her bangs to loosen from behind her ear. The champagne blonde hair fell into her eyes, and she impatiently pushed the offending strands out of the way. "You're fidgeting," muttered Finn as he reapproached. "Please, stop, it's making me nervous."

Glaring sideways at Finn, Kate mumbled a short string of curses under her breath. Nervous didn't even begin to cover the jumbled knot of emotions that sank deep in the pit of her stomach. "We're all nervous, Finn," said Ian darkly. Kate turned her gaze to her friend and gave him the best smile she could. Reaching out, she took his hand in hers, lacing their fingers together. "You alright?"

It was a loaded question, one she'd desperately tried to avoid for months now. "I'm fine," she lied. Kate lied every time Ian asked her that question and they both knew it. Instead of calling her out, he simply squeezed her hand, rubbing his thumb reassuringly over hers. The simple gesture soothed some of Kate's raw nerves, easing the potent combination of fear, anxiety, grief, and sorrow that daily grated against Kate's heart.

"You're the worst liar in the world. You know that, right?" A tiny smile tugged at the corner of Kate's mouth. She tightened her fingers over his.

"It's almost fifteen after, they should be here any minute," said Finn quietly. He took several steps, walking forward to the water's edge. They stood in the shadow of an abandoned warehouse, in a secluded part of the dock. The Hudson was remarkably still and pitch black beneath the cloudy sky.

"How many?" Asked Ian. He let go of Kate's hand as she walked forward, crossing her arms tightly over her chest.

"Twenty," she and Finn said at the same time. "We've got four portkeys to take them out to various rendezvous points across the country. One to upstate New York, one to Texas, one to Colorado, and another to L.A.," said Kate and she narrowed her eyes, trying to look into the distance. The only light for several feet in either direction came from a streetlight, casting an eerie orange glow along the walkway near the water.

"Is Beckett set up inside?" Kate asked. Ian shoved his hands in his coat pockets and nodded, looking over his shoulder at his best friend. Her lips lifted into another small smile. "Now whose nervous?" She teased lightly.

Ian waved her off before tugging his skull cap further over his dark hair. Kate ducked her head and reached inside the neck of her coat. Picking the fine chain off her collar, Kate pulled along the length until she produced a single charm. Holding out the charm flat in her palm, she watched the golden compass needle spin until it pointed in a definite and steady direction. "Due East," she whispered to herself and then closed her fingers over the compass.

"Have you heard from him?"

Finn's question cut through Kate's reverie. Looking up she pursed her lips and then shoved the necklace back under her collar, embarrassed for having been caught. "No," she replied. Even she cringed at the weight of her voice.

"You will," said Ian coming to stand next to her. Drawing in a stilted sigh, Kate dropped her head onto Ian's shoulder. "Things are tough right now because of the war, but you will."

Kate was saved from answering when the water began to bubble just off the dock ledge. "Here they come," said Finn. Kate reached into the narrow pocket sewn into the leg of her blank utility pants, curling her fingers around her wand. Holding it aloft, she spread out from her friends. Ian retreated for the doorway to the warehouse where a face appeared from the darkness.

John Beckett's gold wire glasses glinted dully in the faint light. "Are we ready?"

"Almost," muttered Ian. "Get back and be ready to give directions." Beckett nodded and faded back into the warehouse.

Slowly the mast of a small boat emerged from the water. A sharp sucking sound accompanied the water as it rolled and frothed out of the way, making room for sailboat that rose higher and higher. "I'll never get used to this," said Finn. He and Kate stood apart from one another, their wands held out. The final cascade of water sloshed over the dock ledge, splashing onto Kate's boots.

A gangplank lowered onto the ground and from the blackness emerged several faces. Kate watched, with baited breath as twenty odd witches and wizards debarked from their tiny magical transport. All muggle-borns or family thereof, the refugees were all in various states of disarray, each carrying what little they had left of their former lives overseas. "Keep your wands out, even if you're underage," said Finn as they passed. "Go through that doorway, your portkeys to your next location are waiting for you."

Kate and Ian locked eyes. He gave her a thumbs up and she smiled in return. A small feeling of relief washed over Kate as the last person disembarked and the gangplank receded. "I don't know about you but I am all for a large drink after this."

"Yeah, you won't have to twist my arm to convince me," said Kate. Looking across the way at Ian, she watched as he ushered the last few people through the doorway. "Or Ian." Ian lifted his head to look at his friends. Kate's hand relaxed a fraction on her wand.

The streetlight overhead flickered out. Kate froze in place. Seconds ticked by and she heard nothing but the sloshing of the Hudson and her pounding heart. Encased in almost total darkness, her eyes strained to see anything. Every movement she made, no matter how small, felt like a flashing neon sign. Gravel crunched slightly under the soles of her shoes as she took a step backwards. A hand slipped past hers. Startled, she whipped her head around and found Finn next to her, wand aloft. He raised a trembling finger to his lips. Just across the way, Kate's adjusted eyes could just make out Ian, slowly inching towards them.

A jet of green light shot between Kate and Finn. Screaming, she ducked out of the way, lunging towards Ian. Their hands stretched towards one another. A second jet of light streamed overhead and the streetlight shattered, raining glass over them.

"Ian!" Kate screamed his name, struggling to get to him. Ian's face reflected her terror in the light of she spells that came hurtling toward them. Blindly, Kate fired off several curses and just when her fingers brushed past the tips of Ian's the world around Kate exploded in a shower of green and red sparks.

**A/N: Time travel! Have no fear, all will be explained in due time. Chapter 1 picks up back at the start of OoTP!**

**Leave some love! - Brose**


	2. In Which Fred Gets a Verbal Lashing

**A/N: Okay. Seriously. The Bar Exam sucks y'all. Planning a wedding while studying for the Bar? I wouldn't call it the worst idea I've ever had, but it ranks right up there. My only consolation was the enjoyment I derived in writing this chapter. **

**It's a bit of a slow start, but I had a little foundational work to do. I wrote and re-wrote a few scenes and scrapped some stuff. But overall I'm happy with the end product. Big thanks for everyone who has favorited and followed **_**In Other News**_**! Review and I'll send you Ian Haynes all wrapped up in Fourth of July themed ribbon! **

**I listened to "Dreams" covered by Gabrielle Aplin & Bastille and "Help Me Close My Eyes" by Those Dancing Days while writing this chapter! Seriously though, "Dreams" is a-m-a-z-i-n-g. **

**Disclaimer – I don't own **_**Harry Potter**_**. If I did I sure as hell wouldn't be studying for the Bar.**

In Other News - Chapter 1

In Which Fred Gets a Verbal Lashing

August 31, 1995

London, England

Textbooks. They sat on the foot of George's bed, providing yet another wholly depressing reminder that tomorrow as coming way too fast for his taste. The only comfort he took from looking at the stack of used and battered books was that he had almost no plans in the way of actually reading them. Schoolwork would just serve as a distraction from the real purpose of going back to school this year.

Fred walked past George's bed and picked up _Standard Book of Spells – Year 7_, examining the thick tome with an open expression of disgust. "Remind me again why we're going back this year? It would be so easy to just bail on the train and go set up shop early."

George ruffled his red hair and fought the urge to sigh. By now he'd lost count of the number of times they'd had this conversation. Sometimes George felt as though he'd spend an inordinately large fraction of his summer talking Fred out of his varying and increasingly wild plans of escape. By now he could repeat the points of Fred's argument without having to hear the entire spiel. Yes, George knew they were of age and could do whatever they damn well wanted. Yes, George knew had enough money to go set up shop in Diagon Alley. Yes, George also knew that they'd found the ideal location. Yes, George knew that school was an utter waste of time, one didn't need N.E. to set up a joke business. And yes, George also knew that their parents were going to be mad no matter what they decided to do.

"Because," said George on a sigh. "For one, school is the ideal ground for market research. Two, its not like business in Diagon Alley will be great shakes at the start of a school year. And three, there are some people that we both rather like spending time with that we wouldn't see otherwise."

Shrugging his shoulders, Fred dropped the transfiguration book back on the pile. The imbalance caused the whole thing to topple over, sliding across George's bedspread. "There aren't _that_ many people at school I'd be keen on seeing every day. There are two brand-spanking new prefects I'd rather not have to deal with."

Snorting in poorly concealed laughter, George returned to his task of putting his neatly folded laundry in his trunk. "Please," he said sarcastically. "We both know that Ron's about as imposing as a field mouse and as for Hermione? I'd like to see her try to put us in detention, I could use the laugh."

Fred's lips tugged into a truly evil smile. "Fair point," he agreed. He shoved his hands in the pockets of his trousers and leaned against the hideously ornate antique dresser in their bedroom. In fact, all of the furniture in their room was some variation of overdone and obnoxiously pretentious. "Besides, I suppose its not the quantity of people I want to see that matters so much as the quality of interaction with those people."

Rolling his eyes, George reached for another pile of clothing. "That's so profound that I may need a shovel to sort out the depth of my emotional transformation." Fred barked in laughter and pushed himself away from the dresser, ambling casually to his still-empty trunk. "Planning on having a lot of quality interaction with Angelina then?"

"As much as I can," said Fred somewhat pompously. "Aren't you?"

George felt the heat press into the back of his neck, beating uncomfortably against the collar of his striped t-shirt. "With Angelina? No thanks, mate. She's not exactly my type," he said.

It was Fred's turn to snort in amusement, picking up easily on George's deflection. "I meant with Kate," he deadpanned.

George's fingers clenched slightly over the set of undershirts he held. Against his will, his mind floated all-too easily to the hours they'd wasted in the shade of the weeping willow on the lake. Was George planning on spending every second he could absconding his girlfriend for the purpose of snogging her until she couldn't see straight? Was the minister of magic an idiot? Did Harry Potter have more have mote teenage angst than a copy of _Teen Witch Weekly_? Did Fred feel the irritating need to know every detail of George's personal life? "Of course I am."

Groaning, Fred flopped across George's bed, landing neatly right next to George's trunk. He folded his hands over his stomach and drummed his fingers impatiently. "I still can't believe you two didn't shag at the end of the year."

George shoved the shirts in his trunk with a little more force than necessary. The springs of the mattress groaned under the pressure and Fred's smile just widened in response. "And I still can't believe you think its any of your business."

Waggling his eyebrows in an idiotically suggestive manner, Fred wasn't even remotely phased by this admonishment. "Of course it's my business, you're my brother and your happiness means the world to me. Shagging your girlfriend is a one-way ticket to happiness, thus this is something that I want to happen for you."

This conversation had barely begun and it was already getting out of hand. It wasn't that George minded talking to Fred about these things so much as Fred always took them in a decidedly uncomfortable direction. "There's more that makes a happy relationship than just shagging," he noted. Though, at the moment and given his two months separation from Kate, George couldn't think of any. "Besides, something tells me she's not going to be so keen on all of that after this summer."

The conversation, as it always did, rounded back to the root cause of George's abnormally high level of anxiety about the next day. There were many things he could say about this summer, both good and bad. But the worst he'd identified was limited contact to the outside world. Every single ruddy owl that left the house did so on a timed schedule, and was limited to prevent attracting too much attention. Thus, thanks to the stupid Order of the Phoenix, George had only the opportunity to send a grand total of six letters to Kate and none of them were particularly illuminating due to the general gag order placed on the house.

"Oh would you stop losing your mind on the lack of letters? Just because you haven't been able to send the many and detailed declarations of love to Kate it's going to be fine. She'll be mad for like ten seconds and then the two of you will get on with being your usual disgustingly perfect selves."

Shockingly, Fred's advice did nothing to ease George's worries. "She sent me two letters every week for two months."

"I know," said Fred with a wicked undertone in his voice. "I've seen the pictures."

George rolled his eyes, leave it to his brother to turn a series of perfectly innocent and occasionally highly amusing photographs of Kate's adventures in New York into something inappropriate. Just as he prepared to go into his rant on Fred's inability to respect boundaries, a firm knock on the door interrupted him. "Boys, can I come in?" It was their father.

"Sure dad," said George loud enough to carry through the solid wood door. Fred sat upright as the door opened and their dad stepped inside. He looked tired, his already normally pale skin was unusually ashen and he, like their mother, was far thinner than usual.

"What's up?" Fred enquired, sinking down onto his bed. Arthur took one look at Fred's empty trunk and heaved a sigh.

"Your mother sent me to make sure you two were packing," he said and shook his head. "You should get on it before she comes upstairs, Fred."

Slowly, Fred nodded, but he made no move toward actually following the order. George hastily shoved the rest of the clothes he was holding into his trunk in an attempt to cover up the two bottles of Firewhiskey that Sirius snuck him earlier in the afternoon. "Anything else you need? You're looking quite pensive," noted George.

Arthur walked into the bedroom and shut the door behind him. "I'm supposed to remind you to have all this finished before you go to bed tonight, think you can manage that?"

Fred waved him off, as if that was a foregone conclusion. "Sure, no problem."

Arthur paused and then heaved another great sigh. He came and sat on the foot of George's bed and lifted up one his textbooks. Absently, he thumbed through the copy of Advanced N.E.W.T level charms. "I know this summer hasn't been easy on you two. I can appreciate your position, you're both legally adults, but still under house rules." George and Fred cast each other furtive looks. This was a direction they hadn't expected the conversation to go.

But, they took the same position they'd taken almost all summer with their family, or at least since Percy turned into the world's worst human being. Placation in public, and censure in private seemed to work over best for everyone. "It's fine dad, really," said George with as much false earnesty as he could muster.

Arthur offered him a weak smile. "It's nice that you try, but your mother and I can see right through you. Surely by now you know that."

Fred's face fell slightly. Neither twin would ever admit it, but neither of them actually wanted to disappoint their parents, even if it was a frequent occurrence. "We didn't want to make things worse, what with all the mess surrounding Harry and then with Percy."

Arthur's entire body stiffened in response to hearing Percy's name. "And we appreciate that and for God's sake keep it up in front of your mother. But you can stop pretending with me, I know you're mad and I don't blame you one bit. If I were your age I'd feel the same way. Hell, I probably did feel the same way."

George crossed his arms over his chest. This was the first time he could remember his father ever addressing them as real adults. "We just want to know what's going on, dad. We're of age and we're ready to join," he said.

"And as soon as you get out of school you can, not even your mother can stop you at that point," he said and offered a weary grin. The twins chuckled in response. "Look, I already know we've been over this about a hundred times but I want to impress it on you once more before we leave. I don't really have to worry about this with the others, but with you two I do. I know that you've been frustrated about not being able to send letters to your girlfriends."

Fred's mouth turned downward, betraying what George had suspected all along. For all his nonchalant bravado, Fred feared the exact same reaction from Angelina that George did from Kate. "Dad, really," he started to say but Arthur held a hand up.

"And I know that you two will probably have to come up with a reasonable explanation for why you weren't able to write more. I understand all of that, I really, really do. But boys, you can't tell Angelina and Kate the truth of where you've been, what you've seen, and what you've heard." George caught the twinkle of amusement in his father's eye, suggesting that he knew perfectly well that Fred and George knew way more than they were supposed to.

George already figured as much, if there was a general rule of silence as to letters, he didn't expect much different for any other mode of communication. Still, his nerves grated slightly. He knew for a fact that Kate's father and sister had been through his house more than once this summer. "But dad, if Kate knows, if her family told her," he started to argue.

"Then you have to wait for Kate herself to bring it up. To the best of my knowledge Theo and Elise haven't said a word to her, they couldn't tell her in letters for fear that they'd be intercepted." George's stomach sank. He'd hoped against all hope that just maybe Theo would be the one parent out of all of them to actually trust and treat his daughter like adult. After all, their relationship was renewed but George knew for a fact Theo and Kate were still struggling through the awkwardness of several years of estrangement.

"Since we're putting it all out there, can I say for the record that this whole arrangement is rubbish." Fred spoke as if his opinion settled the matter. Arthur chuckled and nodded.

"Complete rubbish," he agreed. Just then another voice sounded through the door.

"Mum says dinner's ready!" Ginny said.

Arthur groaned slightly as he stood. He brushed off his green work robes and started for the door. "Let's get downstairs, and remember what I said, keep a good face for your mother. Alright?"

As one, Fred and George saluted their father.

X X X

"Kate! Have you seen my rose gold hoop earrings?" Cara's voice carried through the open door to Kate's room. Pausing in the midst of reviewing the contents of her trunk, Kate braced her hands on either edge and looked up.

"No! Check with Toffin!" She shouted back, tossing out their house elf's name. Drumming her fingers on either side of the carved wood of her dark cherry trunk, Kate focused her attention on the stacks of folded clothes, remaining spell books, and miscellaneous items that she still needed to pack. The sigh she blew out ruffled the sweep of her bangs, dislodging them to fall in her eyes. Impatiently, Kate brushed them way and turned her head towards her window.

A spectacular sunset glowed through her windows. Blood orange rays reached through between the buildings, bathing Kate's bedroom with a warm glow. Ambling over to her large bay windows, Kate sank onto her window seat. Unaware of her own actions, her fingers went to the chain that looped her neck. Absently, Kate toyed with the compass charm that hung from the fine gold and she averted her gaze from the stunning summer evening to the small charm in her palm. The compass needled whirred around for a couple of seconds before coming to a stop, pointing to the northeast.

A soft knock on Kate's door startled her. Rotating around, she found Elise standing in the doorway, holding the last stack of Kate's laundry. Two small packages sat on top of the folded clothes. A tiny smile quirked Kate's lips as Elise walked in and set the clothes on her bedspread. "Tell me, did you actually do anything in New York except shop?"

Wrinkling her nose at Elise's question, Kate unfurled her limbs and returned to her bed. "You mean aside from copy editing, fact checking, and running all over creation with Finn and Beckett? No, not really," she said with what she hoped was a winning grin. Elise merely rolled her eyes and waved her sister off with a dismissive hand. "What do you have there?" She pointed to the two packages.

Elise handed Kate the first one. Wrapped in polka dotted paper that continually changed colors, the little package was very light in Kate's hands. "Just a little going away present," she said and crossed her arms over her chest. Pursing her lips to hide her smile, Kate tugged the ribbon free and undid the wrapping paper. Within a gold cardboard box lay a pair of earrings. "I was going to get you a necklace, but someone else cornered the market on that," said Elise, looking pointedly at the compass hanging from Kate's neck.

"Ooh these are perfect Elise," said Kate as she held up one of the golden stud earrings, shaped like spades.

"I'm glad you like them," said Elise as she rotated the other package in her hands.

"So what's in that one?" Asked Kate pointing to the brown paper-wrapped object. A faint blush swirled into Elise's cheeks and she swiftly averted her blue gaze to the plain package.

"Don't get upset," she said slowly, rotating the package. "It was more dad's idea than it was mine, but I agree with him that you should have this. Just in case," she explained haltingly. Frowning, Kate crossed her arms over chest and shot her sister an impatient look. Whatever was in Elise's hands seemed to be causing her great discomfort, and Kate's brain sluggishly began coming up with possible reasons.

"Elise, what are you talking about?" Asked Kate, tapping her fingers impatiently on her upper arm. She shifted her weight on her bare feet.

The glow in Elise's cheeks intensified. "It's just that you and George are pretty serious," she began to say. Kate snorted in unattractive laughter and cast a dark look over her shoulder.

A very small pile of letters lay on Kate's desk, six in total. Each letter bore George's familiar handwriting, written so neatly that Kate knew it took him forever to ensure the letter's legibility. Yet, for all the time he'd taken with his penmanship, each letter barely contained a scrap of information that actually pertained to George. Most of the language revolved around how he missed her, the vague basics of what he was up to and a myriad of unsatisfactory apologies as to why he hadn't written more, why he couldn't say where he was, and why George couldn't tell her what he'd really been doing. By the time the sixth, and presumably final, letter arrived over breakfast three days ago, Kate had reached the end of her rope.

Elise, ever perceptive, forgot her embarrassment and rolled her eyes. "Oh please, Kate. I'm positive that George has a really good reason for why he couldn't write more, even if he can't tell you. If what you said about his letters true then I'm sure that it's not for his lack of wanting to."

Somewhere deep down, Kate knew her sister was right. George often repeated the same sentiment in varied language. And Kate really did believe that he missed her and that he loved her. But that still didn't explain why she'd sent him two letters every week to his six total. "Well he'd better have a damn good explanation when I see him tomorrow," she muttered.

"And he will," said Elise firmly. Kate's eyebrow rose and her frown deepened. Not for the first time, Kate suspected that Elise knew more than she let on. "In the meantime, letters aside, you and George are pretty serious. And when you're in a serious relationship and at your age, you and George might start thinking about well," her voice dropped off, creating a very awkward moment.

Kate now understood her sister's mortification. The back of her neck and cheeks burned from the heat that pulsed beneath her skin. Almost immediately her mind jumped to those quiet moments behind the curtain of the weeping willow on the lake. The parts of her body that George touched still seemed to tingle when she thought about the pads of his fingers skimming along her skin and the perfect pressure of his weight bearing down on her. "That is, it's not uncommon for kids your age to uhm," Elise halted again.

"To have sex?" Kate finally supplemented, wishing the floor would open up and swallow her whole.

Elise's blush intensified and she nodded, looking as though she'd rather crawl under a rock than finish this conversation. "Yes," she said, her voice a full octave higher than normal. "And I want to be sure that you're protected in case you and George decide to move forward in that department."

Tightening her arms over her chest, Kate wondered if jumping out of her window would be less painful than their current conversation. "Elise, George and I aren't if that's what you're trying to ask."

Elise nearly dropped the package in her surprise. "Good! That's good. Not that I would judge you if you had, God knows when I was your age I, well, never mind." A grin tugged at the corners of Kate's mouth. She'd heard plenty of lore surrounding Elise's tenure at Hogwarts. "I'm not going to tell you what to do, not that you'd even listen. But I am going to tell you that no matter what you do, don't be stupid. Take this with you to school so you have it in case the need arises."

At long last, Elise handed Kate the second package. Undoing the brown paper wrapping, Kate revealed a crystal phial containing a translucent pale lilac potion. "It's P-Three."

Kate's jaw dropped open. "Pregnancy prevention potion?" She echoed, her voice mirroring the shock she felt. Flickering her gray eyes down to the bottle and then back up to her sister, Kate slowly shook her head. "You can't be serious, George and I aren't, we haven't, I mean." The words jumbled nervously out of her mouth and Elise pinched the bridge of her nose.

"It's easy for you to say that now when you haven't seen him in two months and you're mad at him for not writing more. But that doesn't mean you won't change your tune come tomorrow and you should be prepared."

"But Elise, this is contraband. Madam Pomfrey isn't permitted to distribute or administer P-Three and students aren't allowed to have it in their dormitories." Kate rotated the small bottle in her hands, reading the label affixed to the backside.

"Okay first, P-Three is very easy to self-administer, three drops once every week. Second, since when has anything being contraband ever stopped you?" Never, was the answer to Elise's second question. "You don't have to start taking it right away, think of it more as a safety net." Slowly, Kate nodded and held the bottle up once more to further inspect it.

"I have the weirdest family ever," she muttered, much to Elise's amusement.

X X X

The morning dawned early and Kate woke with it, determined to make the most of her last few hours in a big city. Dressing in a fitted jeans, a plain white V-neck shirt, and a caramel leather jacket, Kate embraced the coming fall as she swept her long hair over her shoulders, letting it hang down in straight sheets. She paused in the entryway, checking her reflection in the mirror. Already her trunk and bags sat in the doorway, having been triple checked. Bracing her hand on the doorknob, she paused and looked down the hallway where she could see into the kitchen where Elise stood at the counter, drinking her morning tea.

"I'm off to meet dad for breakfast, we'll be back in a couple of hours!" She called, fully aware that her voice was carrying upstairs. Elise nodded and then rolled her eyes when, predictably, Cara's curses could be heard from the second floor. Raising her eyebrows and offering her sister a flippant grin, she opened the door and jogged down the steps of Elise's row house.

Shoving her hands in her jacket pockets, Kate looked both ways and turned right, setting off down the street towards the underground stop nearby. Already the first signs of the changing seasons swirled around her and as Kate inhaled the city air, she already felt the first pangs of longing. Kate had always loved London, it was the city of her birth and in many ways she knew it like the back of her hand. She thought she'd never want to live anywhere else.

But that was all until she spent four incredible, heart pounding, life-changing weeks in New York City. In the two weeks she'd been back in London, Kate soaked up her native city, but still suffered through the longing for Manhattan and the life she'd led there. Finn chose Kate to intern with the _Charmer_ for many reasons, but he'd unashamedly admitted that one of the primary was because he knew she'd take to American city life like a duck to water.

And swim she did. Kate already ached for the freedom she had in New York. The small taste she got of her future career left her hungry for more. Finn had given her an unparalleled look into so many aspects of her dream job that Kate knew she'd be willing to do just about anything to secure her spot with the publication next year. Even if working there for the first few years meant fact-checking, copy editing, and menial research, Kate was willing to do it, she was ravenous to do it.

Again, Kate checked over the back of her shoulder before she trotted down the stairs into the underground. A summer of apparating from one end of Manhattan to the other had not dimmed Kate's strong distaste for magical travel. It was an unusual quirk of Kate's that her friends took great pleasure in mocking. But as she boarded the train that would take her into Chelsea and consequently to her father's house, Kate settled into her chair and took up her favorite activity—people watching.

Absently she leaned her head back and watched the myriad of eclectic characters that comprised the morning run of the underground. She made it a game to pass the time. With each person she invented a new life story, coming up with theories of who they were, where they going, and who they might be meeting. It was a game she'd picked up from Finn and Bekcett on their many nights exploring and enjoying the night life. Kate saw a pair of muggle girls board the train, dressed in their school uniforms.

A scowl tugged her lips. Tonight she'd return to grey flannel skirts and knee socks, a far cry from the pencil skirts and high heels she'd grown accustomed to. Tonight she'd return to structure and rules—where to go, when to go, what to do. Kate wasn't sure she was ready to go back under the thumb of authority, even if it was just her teachers. Not for the first time she contemplated Finn's only half-joking offer that she skive off seventh year and dive right into her career. What good were N.E. for a journalist? It wasn't like she was planning on brewing any potions in her future line of work or needing to have the approximately nine-thousand uses for the number twelve memorized.

Kate's train came to her stop and she hurried out of the doors, firmly reminding herself of why she was going back. First, she didn't want to disappoint her family by failing to finish school, especially now that she and her father were on reasonably stable terms. Second, just the mere thought of not returning felt like a deep and utter betrayal of her friends. Alicia and Angelina would likely never forgive her for not showing. That was nothing to say of what Ian Haynes would do to her if she didn't show, Kate agreed to be Executive Editor for the paper, a duty she wasn't quite ready to relinquish just yet. Then there was George and Kate wasn't positive that any amount of righteous anger on her part would be enough to keep her away from him.

Sunlight broke through the clouds and Kate pushed a pair of sunglasses over her eyes as she made her way to her father's house. Nestled behind a wrought iron gate, the house sat in an impossibly narrow space between two buildings. No muggle would ever notice the handsome dwelling, but Kate did and she paused at the door.

Until recently, Kate's memories of her childhood home hadn't exactly left her with the warmest feelings. But, as she snapped the shining brass knocker against the dark green door, she pushed them out of her head. Moments later the door opened and Kate looked down to see Banksy, her father's house elf.

"Mistress Kate!" The elf squeaked and she bowed low. Kate's lips lifted into the shadow of a smile.

"Please no bowing, Banksy," she said and stepped through the threshold into her father's house. Several pictures sat on the entry table, each depicting Theo Kelley's daughters in various states of age. The most recently taken picture was one Kate sent to him from New York. She stood in a Chinese restaurant in China Town, holding up the live lobster that would later become her dinner.

Rolling her eyes, she picked up the frame and examined her picture-self pretend to kiss the lobster before holding a thumbs up. The sound of footfall alerted her to her father's presence. "Really dad? Of all the pictures I sent to you, this is the one you choose to display in the front hall?"

Theo shrugged his shoulders and looked down on the picture. "I think its funny," he commented. Kate snorted in laughter and set the picture back down on the table, trying not to be too pleased. "Ready?"

Kate nodded trailed after her father, returning into the dazzling morning. "Banksy was up half the night baking snacks for Cara and you to take on the train," noted Theo breezily. Her lips tugged into a small smirk.

"Doesn't she know about the trolley cart?"

Theo chuckled. "I don't think she cares, all summer long all I've heard about is 'Mistress Cara loves this' or 'Mistress Kate and Elise like to drink that.' I think she's pretty excited to have new people to cook for."

Kate shoved her hands back in her pockets and smiled into the sunshine. Next to her, Theo smoothed out his muggle button down shirt, tucked into a pair of crisp gray trousers. "Well you won't see me complaining, Banksy is the best. Don't ever get rid of her."

"Dually noted," replied Theo.

For several more meters they walked in relative silence. Kate still wasn't accustomed to conversations with her father. Since his return into her life two months ago, she'd been at a total loss as to the stretch and limit of their boundaries. They didn't have what Kate could qualify as a parent-child relationship, it seemed that Theo recognized he'd relinquished those rights years ago. "So I've been thinking," she began tentatively.

"About what?" Theo responded.

Kate bit her lower lip and tried to find the best way to word her proposal. For weeks she'd wrestled with the feeling that she was still trapped between two worlds. She felt a certain amount of discomfort living with Elise knowing that her father was still alone. "I was thinking that at Christmas this year maybe I could stay at your house for part of the break? I obviously don't have to if you're not up for it, Elise is always happy to have me. But I was just thinking that it might be good," she trailed off as her father's lips parted into a brilliant white smile.

He raised a hand to his forehead, shielding his eyes from the sun. In the shade, she could see the warmth radiating into his iron eyes, melting them into stunning silver. "I think that's a great idea," he said earnestly. "You and Cara both. We can decorate the house and maybe have a party and invite your friends who are in town."

Kate beamed back at him in response and slipped her hand into the crook of his elbow. Theo patted the top of her hand a couple of times before holding onto it. "It's a shame you have to go back today, I feel like we hardly saw each other since you've been back from New York."

Dropping her head to hide her pleased smile, she nodded slowly. "I know, Finn kept me pretty busy that last week of my internship. But we saw each other like every day this past week."

At the mere mention of Finn's name, Theo tensed, just as Kate knew he would. "Have you heard anything from Finn since you left the _Charmer_ office?"

At first Kate couldn't find the words, so she merely shook her head. "No," she said at last. "Finn said he was going to give me the space I needed to make my decision. Judging from his radio silence, I think he really means it too."

"Good," said Theo. Kate could hear the protective edge in his voice and his fingers clenched her hand just a little tighter. "It's a big decision and I want you to consider all the benefits and consequences."

Theo didn't have to tell Kate twice the magnitude of her decision. The job offer she'd been dreaming of for her entire adolescence now came with a condition she never dreamed of. "Taking the job? Or joining the Order?"

Beneath her touch, Theo tensed. "Both," he practically growled. "Any career decision you make is yours to make, Kate. And it sounds like the _Black Charmer_ will provide you with some incredible opportunities."

"But?" Prompted Kate.

"Jobs like that, they tend to take over every aspect of your life, Kate. Working for such a big publication could take you all over the world, it could take you away from your friends and your family. I think you need to ask yourself if you're really ready to marry yourself to such a demanding life when you're this young."

Kate bit her lower lip. She hadn't really given that aspect of the job much consideration. "I don't know," she murmured. And in a fit of childish neediness, she clutched to her father's arm tighter and looked up at him. A slight mental tick of disbelief shot off in her mind, Kate couldn't believe that she was about to ask her father for advice, it wasn't like was the poster child for a well-balanced life. Swallowing her question, she instead returned her gaze forward, keeping her expression stoic and flat.

Fighting her sigh, Kate wondered if she'd ever be completely comfortable with her father. "And what about the Order?"

"Kate, that all boils down to where you stand in this war. Don't roll your eyes at me, this is a war whether you want to call it that or not. Am I happy that Finn sprang this on you before you're even out of school? No. Do I understand why he did it? I think so."

"Well maybe you can explain that to me, because I have no idea what the point was. I mean why ask me to join when I can't do anything for it until after I finish school?"

Theo rubbed his chin with his free hand. "He wants you to know what you're getting yourself into. That and I think he wants you to be prepared. Or at least to spend your last year preparing."

Pouting, she kicked slightly at the pavement with the soles of her flats as they walked along, nearing the small diner that her father enjoyed so much. Kate was looking forward to a steaming cup of coffee and a chance to digest everything her father had said. "Well I wish he'd kept his big mouth shut, I don't want to have to think about any of this. At least not right before the start of school. I've got enough going on, thanks."

"When do you have to give him a decision?"

Kate sighed and shook her hair back over her shoulders. "The magazine won't let him give me a formal offer until after the first of the year, so I've got until then."

"Well here's my advice, for what it's worth. Take your time, Kate. This is a big year and you've got so much going on that I don't want you to rush anything." Theo braced his hand on the door to the diner and held it open for Kate. She said nothing, but nodded at him, wishing she could expel the uneasiness that had settled itself into the pit of her stomach.

X X X

George followed Fred down the train corridor, leaving his siblings, Harry, and Hermione behind. "Hopefully Lee and the girls got a good compartment," said Fred as he ambled along the corridor. Several familiar faces cropped up through the narrow corridor. George waved at or acknowledged many of them as they passed through.

"Hi Fred!" The high-pitched voice of a fifth year Hufflepuff girl caught Fred's attention. George snickered as Fred gave the girl a ludicrous bow. She flushed bright magenta before disappearing back into the knot of her giggling friends. "You're shameless," he noted.

Fred raked his fingers through his hair and shrugged his shoulders. "I don't deny it," he said confidently. Ahead of them George could see Seamus Finnigan leaning against the doorway into a compartment, Dean Thomas standing next to him. Upon passing, he could see them regaling Lavender Brown, Parvati Patil, and a knot of other girls with tales of their summer.

A little further down they found Lee Jordan sprawled across half of the bench in a compartment. His head rest in Katie Bell's lap while Angelina Johnson sat on the other side, explaining something animatedly. George's lips twitched and turned slightly downward. He knew that Alicia would be in the prefects compartment; but, where was Kate? George had been so late getting on the train he hadn't had a chance to look for her in the crowd.

Fred opened the door and everyone looked up to see their entrance. Lee sat up straighter, his lips pulling into a wicked grin. Meanwhile Katie waved and Angelina rolled her eyes when Fred made to pull her up into his embrace. "Oh I suppose you think you're going to get a warm welcome? All summer and you only sent me three letters? Complete and utter rubbish," she snapped at Fred, smacking him hard across the shoulder.

"Ow!" Exclaimed Fred, rubbing his injured arm. "Come on, Ang. I told you why I couldn't tell you!" He whined. George groaned and sank down onto the bench next to Lee. He'd expected as much from Angelina, and it only further worried him as to what Kate was going to say when he saw her.

"Bad luck," muttered Lee and held out his hand to George. They shook firmly and George gave Katie a high five. "But still, you don't write, you don't call, I'm beginning to think this is a one-sided relationship," he teased.

George laughed and scratched the back of his neck. "It was an interesting summer. Anyone seen Kate?" He asked.

Katie Bell nodded. "Ian Haynes practically drug her out of the compartment almost as soon as she got here. He was going on and on about," but everyone knew what came next.

"Paper business," chorused Lee and George. Katie nodded. "I'm pretty sure they're a few compartments down though. I bet if you drop by he'll be willing to give her up." Katie added.

George snorted in sarcastic laughter and Lee sympathetically patted George's shoulder. "Doubtful, I'm still convinced he's got a contract on her life."

"That and a permanent locator charm," muttered George, thinking of the times Ian managed to find her right when the snogging was about to get good.

Fred had the good grace to take his fight with Angelina out into the corridor and George did not fancy getting caught in the middle. "Only three letters?" Echoed Lee, looking in the same direction as George. "Blimey, I hope you managed to write Kate more than that."

"Not much more," replied George. Still though, he realized that he needed to go hunt her down sooner rather than later. No sooner than he sat down did George get back to his feet and he paused at the door. "What are the chances I can walk through that shit storm unscathed?"

"Little-to-none, mate," said Lee. But, clearly unconcerned by this, he reclined back into Katie's lap. "I wish you the best of luck, though!"

Blowing out a sigh, George nodded. "Thanks, I'm going to need it." And bracing himself for impact, he opened the door and returned into the corridor. Almost as soon as he did, Angelina pointed her open hand toward him and, as George expected, drug him right into the mud.

"You know what I bet? I bet that George had the decency to write to Kate more than three bleeding times this summer. Didn't you, George?"

Backing away, he held his hands up in defense. "Oh no, Ang. I am not getting involved in your row," he began to say. But Fred reached out and closed a hand over his wrist, keeping him in one place. His twin shot him a look of utter desperation. George felt bad for Fred, he really did. He knew that part of this wasn't Fred's fault at all. It wasn't Fred's fault they couldn't send more letters and it certainly wasn't his fault that they weren't allowed to say a word of where they'd been and what they'd been doing.

But then again, three letters was half the amount that George wrote Kate. "I'm not taking sides," said George firmly. "Fred you should have written more, Angelina you shouldn't be too harsh, we really didn't have the opportunity to write much and that's the honest truth. Now let go of me, Fred. I have my own girlfriend to find."

George tugged his wrist free and continued to back away. Fred's face screwed up in a decidedly irritated expression while Angelina stared at him slightly slack jawed. Turning his back, George fled down the hall, peering in through compartment doors until he found the only person in the world he actually wanted to see in that moment. Just when he was nearing the end of the car, he peered through the pane glass and came to a complete halt.

Kate Kelley had sent several pictures from her New York adventures, but the camera never did her justice. In photographs she was pretty but in person she took his breath away. All of her champagne hair hung over one shoulder in thick, shining sheets, resting atop her white shirt. From his angle he could see her sitting in deep conversation with her best friend, Ian Haynes, the pair looking over several sheets of parchment they'd spread across their laps.

George found himself staring at the way her lips moved as she spoke, already imagining what they would feel like against his. Kate's iron eyes were entirely focused on her work, but she laughed when Ian pointed something out to her. How could he have forgotten the effect she had on him? In his chest, George's heart began racing and he swore an entire army of snitches had been released in his stomach. Coupled with his rising anxiety, George felt a fleeting moment of cowardice, after barely writing to her all summer was Kate going to yell at him too?

But before he could get the chance to make a hasty retreat and recollect himself, a flash of gold caught his attention. The compass necklace he'd given Kate hung about her neck and he felt the return of his resolve. Kate was not Angelina, he reminded himself. She was not impulsive and quick to anger. Kate would hear him out before passing judgment.

George reached out and grasped the handle of the compartment door, sliding it open. Upon hearing the noise, Kate and Ian looked up as one. Her silvery eyes found his and her lips rounded in soft surprise. An immediate flush swirled into her cheeks, as though she were embarrassed that he'd caught her working on the paper and not looking for him. But George didn't care.

"Hey, Kate," he said, kicking himself for not coming up with something more clever.

He didn't have much time to dwell, however, on his lack of creative opening. Kate was on her feet in a flash, her face set in an incomprehensible expression.

"Hi, George," she said.

**A/N: Mini-cliffhanger! I mean, come on, I wasn't going to let that can of worms get resolved in one chapter. I really enjoyed writing the dialogue in this chapter, particularly between the twins and Arthur! **

**Next chapter will feature the reunion, the welcome feast, and Kate's first impressions of Umbridge.**

**For the love of all that his holy, please leave some love! I am in the midst of some serious bar exam-related blues and could use the pick-me-up! Much love – Brose.**


	3. In The Middle

**A/N: Hello all! Sorry for the delay in an update. The past few weeks have been a blur of ten hour days of studying outlines, taking multiple choice tests, and writing essays. The bar is next week. My wedding is in less than three weeks. Three weeks from now I will be honeymooning and that's my great motivation in life!**

**I've been frantically writing during my study breaks, so if I fail the bar I'm blaming it on my sudden burst of creative energy. I've been hard at work on ION, including mapping out the plot arcs and outlining chapters. **

**In the meantime good God y'all! Thanks for the reviews, favorites, and follows! The kind words you've been sharing with me about Kate and about my writing have been a huge pick-me-up whilst studying!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, but I wish I did.**

In Other News – Chapter 2

In The Middle

Over the course of the past several weeks Kate mentally composed an entire speech to give George the first time she saw him. She'd said it to herself whilst standing in front of her bathroom mirror, while running errands in London, and every night before she went to bed. It was a good monologue, if she said so herself, straight and to the point. Kate wanted to tell George that while she was sure he had a litany of perfectly valid reasons, they still didn't excuse his almost total radio silence. She would tell George that she loved him, but that their communication this summer left a lot to be desired. No matter what, Kate was determined to let George hear her speech.

But as George tentatively stepped into the compartment, Kate realized that she hadn't taken several critical factors into consideration. Clearly she'd forgotten just how handsome George was, standing with his hands in the front pockets of his jeans. He rocked back nervously on his heels and Kate's resolve melted. How could Kate be mad when George clearly expected the worst from her? The tips of her fingers itched to bury themselves in his hair, pull his face down to hers, and never come up for air.

As George offered a crooked smile in response to her complete and utter failure of a greeting, every single word of Kate's carefully crafted speech escaped her brain. So, in the grand tradition of teenage bodies betraying minds, Kate eliminated the distance between George and her. She wrapped her arms around his neck at the same time as his strong arms drew her against him, hugging her tightly.

"Welcome home, love," he murmured in her ear. Kate's lips spread into a ridiculous smile and she pressed her face into the crook of his neck.

There would be plenty of time to be mad later. Instead of yelling, Kate tilted her head up just as George moved his down. He kissed her softly, bringing a hand to cup the side of her face. For a few glorious seconds, the entire world fizzled away and Kate lost herself to George's kiss, realizing just how much she missed it. Ian ceased to exist, as did the two other Ravenclaws in Ian's compartment. Kate didn't care who saw them, she could have been snogging George in front of the Minister of Magic and that still wouldn't have dimmed the rush Kate got.

George's fingers buried themselves in her sheets of hair, gently caging her head in place. Everytime his fingertips twitched, she felt a small shockwave rolled through her body. A familiar heat began to coil deep in the pit of her stomach, working its way lower and lower. Elise's warning began to echo in the recesses of her mind. It was enough to bring Kate back to her senses and, as gently as possible, she pulled back. Upon breaking the kiss, though, Kate couldn't help but raise her eyes to find George staring at her, wide-eyed. The corner of his mouth pulled into a lopsided grin.

"Thank God, for a minute there I thought the two of you might pass out," drawled Ian with good-natured sarcasm. Kate could feel the heat throb uncomfortably in her cheeks. George, however, took it all in stride and he put his arm around her shoulder.

"You don't mind if I take Kate off your hands, do you? We've got some catching up to do," said George.

Ian snorted with laughter, but he waved a dismissive hand all the same. "Go. We can talk the front page stuff at tomorrow night's senior staff meeting," said Ian encouragingly. "I promised that I'd go talk to a couple of the other younger paper members anyway." He rose to his feet and brushed off his school pants.

George's fingers laced with hers and the pair exited the compartment, back into the mostly empty hallway. Although total privacy was a luxury not possible on the school train, being in the hallway afforded them the opportunity to share a more personal conversation. Kate's stomach began to turn itself in and out of knots again as she contemplated bringing up the inevitable conversation. "I know you're not happy with me."

George beat her to the finish line. Kate turned the words over in her mind, biting her lower lip. She tilted her head forward, letting her hair cascade over her shoulder, creating an effective curtain between them. "I'm certainly not ecstatic. I mean, your letters were wonderful, but only six of them George?" Kate withdrew her hand from his and crossed her arms over her chest. "I was running around like mad all summer long and I still managed to find time to send you two letters every week _and_ I included pictures from all over the city."

His hands closed over her upper arms. "And they were amazing, I kept all of them. And I wanted to write you more, believe me I did. But we were restricted on how many owls we could send out." The statement only minorly mollified Kate, because there was another lingering, nagging question at the back of her mind.

"Where were you all summer, George? Obviously you weren't at home otherwise you could have written every day if you wanted to." George rubbed the back of his neck in such an awkward manner that Kate already knew the answer before it spilled from his lips.

"I can't tell you Kate. I want to, so badly. But I promised my parents I wouldn't breathe a word."

The compartment two doors down from them slid open and a couple of giggling fourth year girls tumbled out, dragging each other down the hall, deep in gossip. Kate waited until they were out of earshot. Rising to the tips of her toes, she pulled George closer for better confidence. "Is this about the stuff with Harry at the end of the school year? Does this have to do with You-Know-Who?"

George flushed a particularly bright shade of red and he cast his face down to the floor. "Kate, can you just trust me when I say that if I could tell you I would?"

Furrowing her brow, Kate crossed her arms over her chest and shifted her weight uncomfortably. "You do trust me, don't you?"

Starting, George's head snapped back up and he arched a disbelieving eyebrow. "What? Of course I trust you, I've never not trusted you Kate. But it's not that easy. None of this is that simple."

Kate bit her lip, George didn't have to tell her that twice. And as she took in George's pleading expression, she also remembered that she too was keeping secrets of her own. After Finn's offer she promised him that she'd only tell her father and Elise, for fear of word spreading too fast and too far amongst her less discretionary classmates. Unfortunately, George had been added to the blacklist and the fact that Kate couldn't tell him now seemed to temper her irritation at George's inability to send regular post.

"I know," she said in a low voice, stepping in closer to him as a younger student passed by. George's hands came to rest at the curve of her neck, his thumbs rubbing lazy circles against her skin. "I know it's not easy. But I want you to know that I can keep a secret."

Swallowing, he nodded and tucked a tendril of hair behind her ear. "I know you can. But this isn't exactly my secret to share, love. But be sure that the minute I get the go-ahead, I'll tell you everything. Anything you want to know."

Grumbling under her breath, Kate nodded her head. "I'm still annoyed," she stated and George raised his eyes to the ceiling, signaling that he expected no less of her.

"I suppose I'll just have to find a way to make it up to you then," he said. One of Kate's champagne eyebrows slipped higher up her forehead. The prospect of George owing her one delighted Kate more than it probably should, but she never said no to having a little leverage over him when the situation called for it.

The rush of seeing him again after two months came flooding back to Kate and she let her fingertips dance across his sides, coming within inches of him. "Oh? Make it up to me how?"

George's mouth turned up in that smile he used for her and her only. The handsome beam was tempered by the slightest edge, reminding Kate that no matter how wonderful George acted towards her, he was still a teenage boy. "Well, there will definitely be snogging involved," he said casually, pretending to inspect his fingernails. "And maybe, if I'm feeling particularly repentant, a shoulder massage."

A tiny laugh bubbled out of Kate's lips, effectively chasing her anger away. If only for a short period of time. "The shoulder massage is mandatory, the kissing all depends on whether I've forgiven you yet." But both of them already knew she had.

Just as George's lips came within centimeters of hers, the compartment door next to them slid open and a face identical to George's popped out into the corridor. "Seriously?" Fred whined, coming out to join them. "Are kidding me? I've been subject to Angelina's verbal abuse since we got on this ruddy train and you two are out here snogging like nothing's wrong?"

Kate shook her head and pulled away from George, opening her arms and motioning for Fred to bring it in. A wicked grin crossed his face and he engulfed her in a brotherly embrace, lifting her off the floor, and swinging her back and forth. "It's simply smashing to see you too, Fred!" She greeted him exuberantly.

Fred's easy laughter filled her ears and he gave her an extra squeeze before releasing her back to her feet. "Spiffing as always, Miss Kelley. So tell me, did George get on his knees and beg for your forgiveness? Or are you just completely unable to resist our Weasley charm?"

Pursing her lips together, Kate threw a neat elbow into Fred's side. The wind escaped his lungs and he coughed once before straightening up and brushing off his sweater, as though nothing happened. "I've managed to resist you," she joked. Fred feigned an arrow piercing his chest.

"Well stop dawdling in the hall like the delinquents that you are, come join us and help diffuse the tension," said Fred, adding the last part under his breath. Kate raised a hand to cover her amuse smile and upon George's hand falling to the small of her back, she followed Fred into the compartment and found all of her friends, minus Alicia lounging on the seats.

Sure enough, Angelina's silent waves of rage flooded every direction of the compartment and Kate quite perceptively noted that Fred sat in the furthest possible position from her. This left the bench Angelina occupied quite open and Kate happily dropped down next to her, George on her other side. With zero hesitation, George brought an arm around her shoulder and Kate relaxed against him, soaking up the contact they'd been lacking over the course of the prior two months.

Was she still frustrated with George? Yes. Did that mean she'd refuse to snog him later on tonight? Absolutely not. It turned out that Elise was right after all, because all Kate's teenage brain could think about was how much she couldn't wait to have his hands all over her. Swallowing her hormonal impulses, she instead raised a hand to thread her fingers with George's. Out of the corner of her eye, Angelina watched the couple and gave an unattractive 'pfft' that reminded Kate so strongly of her Great Aunt Madeline that she nearly laughed out loud. But Angelina's disapproval aside, Kate was all-too happy to be in familiar company once more. Lee Jordan and Katie Bell deigned to stay with them, even when Alicia finally returned from the prefect's compartment.

The twins greeted her and Alicia plopped down on George's other side, letting out a laugh as he threw an arm over her shoulder too. Kate offered her friend a placating smile. "How was the annual first gathering of the High and Mighty Society?" Enquired Fred, winking garishly at her.

Angelina coughed into her hands and Kate shot a glare at her. The girl looked back at her, completely unperturbed. Alicia flushed a delicate shade of pink. "It was fine," she said sharply to Fred whose grin only widened. "Although somehow someone actually conned Dumbledore into allowing Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson to be the Slytherin prefects."

"Viola Parkinson's little sister?" Kate echoed, shocked. "Is she even smart enough to be a prefect?"

Lee Jordan cackled from his spot, still laying half across Katie Bell's lap. "Think about the other Slytherin girls in her year," he suggested. Kate only knew about one other Slytherin fifth year girl and that was Millicent Bullstrode. George shuddered, telling Kate that he was thinking the exact same thing.

"Fair point," said Alicia. "But I thought that they'd at least give the boy's slot to someone who is less of a total arse."

"Like who?" Jested Fred. "There's nobody in that house worth a damn."

"Blaise Zabini wouldn't have been awful," said Alicia defensively. "At least he's too preoccupied with his good looks to really care about torturing first years."

Kate considered Alicia's point to be a good one. "Well it's not like it's a huge surprise, I'm sure that the library will be renamed after Draco's father when we get to school tonight," said George sourly.

"Anything else exciting come out of it?" Kate asked, diverting the conversation away from the topic of irritating Slytherins.

Alicia grinned and slowly nodded. "You two had best be on your toes this year," she said in a teasing manner, pointing at Fred and George. "Hermione Granger made it a special point to corner me when the meeting let out and asked me whether I would help her corral you two."

The twins and Lee burst into laughter. "She is really something else isn't she?" Fred said somewhat endearingly, as though he found Hermione's hyper vigilant antics adorable.

"Did Ron look like he was about to melt into the floor and die?" Enquired George, raking a casual hand through his hair.

Now Alicia did laugh, relaxing into the corner between the seat and the compartment wall. "He nearly blended in with the seat upholstery he was so red." All three boys howled.

"I know it's wrong, but I can't help it. Ron's pain brings me so, so much joy," said Fred happily.

"Its sort of like Christmas morning every morning," agreed George. Kate rolled her eyes and bumped her shoulder against his.

"You're going straight to hell, the both of you," she pointed out and earned an agreement from Angelina.

George's eyes twinkled and Fred just reached across the way and patted Kate's knee in a condescending manner. "Sweetheart, we'll be driving the bus. But don't worry, we'll save you a seat!"

X X X

It was dark by the time the train pulled into Hogsmeade station. Kate and her friends entered into the flow of bodies making the annual exodus from the train. As she stepped off, the cool night air blew in her face and she paused to look behind her at the scarlet engine. George's fingers were entangled with hers and he stopped when she did.

"Kate? What's up?" Kate shrugged her shoulder and turned away from the train with a small smile.

"It's just one less thing we'll do again," she said and fell into step with him, weaving through the crowd to catch up with Fred and Alicia. Angelina detached herself from them to meet up with a few other Gryffindor seventh year girls as soon as was remotely feasible. Clearly, she was determined to stay as mad at Fred as she could for as long as she could.

So, with Fred grumbling under his breath about the moodiness of girls, the four of them clambered into a carriage, destined for the school. As it bumped along the road the group was uncharacteristically silent for several long minutes, each contemplating the start of the year and the complications that came with it: Angelina not speaking to Fred, Alicia breaking up with Justin Boot, George keeping secrets from Kate, and Kate keeping secrets of her own. It wasn't until the castle finally drew into Kate's line of vision that George dared to break the ice. "Did Hermione really ask you to keep an eye on us? What did you say?"

Fred and Kate both snorted with laughter and a wicked smile danced on Alicia's lips. "I tried to telling her that the two of you are impossible enough on a good day, let alone when you've set your minds to something," explained Alicia. "But I did my best to assure her that I'd help to the fullest extent of my capability."

"Which means," prompted Fred, rolling one hand over the other to prompt her to answer.

Rolling her eyes, Alicia shook her head, but smirked all the same. "I have zero intention of crossing the two of you. I don't really want to wake up with pink hair or open my bag to find streamer bombs popping out of it."

"That's my girl," said Fred happily as their carriage rolled to a stop.

The warmth of the Great Hall greeted Kate as they filed in, surrounded by a bevy of familiar faces. George slung his arm over her shoulder leading their group to their usual, undisputed spot at the Gryffindor table. _Seventh Year_. The words echoed in Kate's brain though she could scarce believe that it was finally upon her. In ten months she'd be out in the world and on her own and for all her bravado about her wild summer, the notion absolutely terrified her.

Her father's words from that morning echoed in her ear, reminding Kate of the massive decisions that lay ahead. Kate settled in for the welcome back speeches and the sorting of the first years. Situated next to George, Kate could see her classmates talking and laughing along the length of the table. It was hard to believe that this time two months ago nobody dared laugh in the Great Hall, not in the wake of Cedric Diggory's death. For most students that night was a bad memory, chased away beneath the glow of the floating candles and the joy of reuniting with friends.

Kate didn't mourn Cedric's death any more, but she felt the reeling consequences. Staring at her lap, she was completely lost in thought when someone tapped her shoulder. Lifting her head she swiveled around to see Ian sitting directly opposite her. Nodding his head towards the staff table his eyes swept across the professors. "Notice any changes?" He asked under his breath.

Starting at the far left and working her way across, Kate noted the normal occurrences. Dumbledore sat in the dead center, McGonagall's seat to his immediate left sat empty while she dealt with the first years, and Snape sat to his right. Hagrid's absence practically shouted at her. Immediately she narrowed her eyes, looking for a face she didn't recognize, the face that would certainly be their new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.

It wasn't hard to pick her out. A strange woman sat between Professors Sinistra and Vector. Kate arched an eyebrow as she examined every detail the woman had to offer from the childish velvet bow crowning the top of her head to the lurid shade of pink swathing around her broad frame. "Guess she didn't get the memo that women of a certain age shouldn't wear pink," muttered Ian under his breath.

George, who was now listening in on their exchange chuckled. "Sort of looks like a toad doesn't she?"

At first, Kate completely agreed with them as she surveyed the woman's flat face and flabby jowls. Her lips was wide and thin, provoking the image of her catching flies when nobody was looking. But then Kate reached the woman's dark eyes and a shudder slipped down her spine. Set beneath reedy eyebrows, the woman's eyes swept across the room and Kate was positive that she didn't imagine the malevolent edge to them. Their new teacher was certainly an unattractive woman, but Kate forced herself to remember that attractiveness had nothing to do with intelligence, and she got the feeling this woman wasn't stupid. "I don't know, she reminds me more of a snake," whispered Kate.

It was irrational, Kate knew that her automatic distaste for the woman made absolutely no sense. Yet, she couldn't help the way her hackles rose slightly as the woman's appraising gaze tracked along the Gryffindor table. She reached a certain point a few spaces ahead of Kate and stopped. Under the table her hand on George's leg clenched as the woman's lips curled into a simpering smirk, her eyes fixed intently on Harry Potter.

George looked down fast at Kate's hand and back to her face. He curled his fingers over hers and squeezed. Just as soon as the woman's expression came to her face it disappeared and she continued trekking along the Gryffindor table before sweeping on to the Hufflepuffs. "I don't like her," whispered Kate under her breath.

"Well she's not much to look at, I'll give you that," muttered George.

The doors burst open, startling Kate. Professor McGonagall swept into the Great Hall, leading the long stream of First Years to stand in the center aisle. Kate watched on, fascinated by how six years made such an unimaginable difference. A blonde girl tottered in, chatting nervously with her newfound friends and Kate's lips pulled in a little smile. Had she really been that small once too?

The worries and concerns of first year seemed like a dream to Kate now. Back then it was all finding new friends, dealing with the first pangs of crushes, and the terror of failing classes. None of them knew what they wanted to do with their lives and they existed in a wonderfully platonic sphere. And now? Now Kate sat next to George who drew his thumb over the top of her hand in lazy circles, unknowingly setting a fire just beneath her skin. Now Kate found herself faced with the struggles of choosing her future career, the threat of separation from her best friends, and of progressing her relationship with George. In some ways she longed for First Year quandaries, to wake up tomorrow morning and the worst thing that could possibly happen is that she'd get lost trying to find McGonagall's classroom.

Professor McGonagall set the Sorting Hat on the stool. Anticipation quivered in the air. Kate sat up a little higher as the Hat's brim ripped wide open and began to sing. As the Hat's magical voice boomed throughout the Great Hall, Kate could see the confused glances and curious whispering among her classmates who had been at Hogwarts for more than a couple of years. Kate had been at every feast and sorting since her start at school, and she'd never heard it sing like that before.

Alicia's face darkened. "Was that supposed to be some kind of warning?"

Kate pursed her lips together and nodded slowly. "I don't know what else it could be," she said just as Professor McGonagall called the first new student up to be sorted. Their conversation died in the midst of the tedious process of sorting, Kate joining in to clap for her newest housemates as they joined Gryffindor one by one. By the time the sorting finished she'd quite forgotten about the entire song and the warning embedded within it, too engrossed in the latest gossip that spread from one end of the train to the other: who was dating who, who broke up with who, who got what job before starting Seventh Year.

"Oh Lord here we go," muttered Fred sleepily as Dumbledore, at last, got up to speak. George ruffled his hair unconcernedly, but as Kate's eyes swept back down the length of the head table, she found herself looking at their mysterious new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. A sense of foreboding lodged itself deep in Kate's stomach. The woman stared intently at the back of Dumbledore's head, unblinking.

X X X

"That Umbridge woman gives me the total creeps," said Angelina as she, Alicia, and Kate walked through the portrait hole into the Gryffindor common room. "That speech was seriously disturbing."

Kate silently agreed with her friends and paused to look around for George. A hand closed over her wrist and she found Alicia laughing at her, tugging her along towards the dormitories. "Oh no you don't, we're going to have a girl's night before the start of term, it's our tradition!"

Incredulous, Kate looked between her two friends, halfway tempted to ask them if either planned on snogging Kate tonight because if not, then she was out. "That's right," said Angelina, grabbing Kate's other hand. "If George can survive without you for two months then he can ruddy well last another night."

Yes, but the real question was could Kate survive another night without spending time with George? "Can I at least say goodnight to him?" Enquired Kate sarcastically.

Alicia and Angelina shared a suspicious expression, both girls releasing Kate to cross their arms over their chests in unison. All around them the other students streamed into the common room, talking loudly. "Five minutes and we're coming for you," said Angelina in fierce warning. "I've got an entire box of chocolate peppermint creams upstairs with our names on it and I expect you to partake."

Kate rolled her eyes but smiled radiantly at her friends. "Five minutes tops, I swear."

"Liar," teased Alicia as she and Angelina turned away from Kate, already deep in conversation.

Whirling around, Kate engaged in her favorite game of 'Find the Ginger' until she found identical red heads swimming through the sea of their housemates. Kate crossed the center of the common room, waving to her other friends and acquaintances. The portrait hole opened again and Kate stepped out of the way as Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley led the new first years into the common room. Kate paused for a moment, listening to Hermione's admittedly impressive authority voice.

"Merlin's beard they're all midgets aren't they?" Said one of the twins as he came to stand next to her, hands on his hips. Kate looked up and earned a roguish wink, giving Fred's identity away in an instant. A forearm dropped onto her shoulder and Kate arched an eyebrow, looking up at George as he used her for an armrest.

"Were we that small?" George echoed, grinning at the passing first years. A couple of the girls blushed scarlet and shuffled along faster up the designated stares. Kate shoved her elbow into his side and he gave her a cheeky grin, folding his arms over his broad chest.

"Yes, you were that small, but you're as obnoxious now as you were then," she teased. George feigned hurt and slumped into her, Kate's gasp of laughter escape her lips as he grappled her hips and pulled her closer to him. "I can't stay, Alicia and Angelina made me promise to spend tonight when them."

George furrowed his brow and dug his thumbs against her hip bones. "That's alright, since my charming twin over there is currently in the doghouse with Angelina it falls to my lot to keep him company," he explained with an exaggerated sigh. "We've got some stuff for the joke shop to take care of tonight anyway."

Kate nodded and bit her lip, resting her hands against his chest. She wasn't much for public displays of affection, but as she looked around, she realized that nobody was really paying attention to them. In her moment of absent attention, George dipped his head, his lips hovering dangerously close to her ear. "What about tomorrow night?"

A neat shiver slipped the full length of Kate's spine, causing her to sorely regret her promise. "I've got senior staff tomorrow and it's bound to run late," she replied.

"Damn," said George, his brow creasing in disappointment. Kate reached up to smooth the wrinkle away and he shrugged. "The night after?"

Kate rose to the tips of her toes, pushing her lips against his cheek. "It's a date," she replied.

"If that's your way of saying goodnight I think we need to revisit the terms of our relationship," said George in a devilish voice, pulling her closer to him. Kate's arms came up around his neck and she forcefully blocked out the sound of yelling coming from across the common room.

"Oh we do?" She enquired sarcastically, arching a playful brow.

George nodded, a mock solemn expression on his seldom serious face. "For starters, it's non-negotiable that when we say goodnight we kiss like this." He dipped his head and pressed his lips to hers, engaging in a soft and teasing kiss that stole the air clean out of her lungs.

"Non-negotiable, huh?" Enquired Kate, her eyes dancing in wicked humor.

"Yep," said George, popping the 'p.'

"Any other terms I should be reacquainted with?"

A dark, wanting expression filtered across his face for a split second before he resumed his usual candor. "All in good time, love," he responded. "Now go before Angelina finds a reason to verbally abuse me too."

"I'll see you tomorrow morning?" Asked Kate, unwilling to let go of him.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," he replied. She pulled him down for one last lingering kiss. "Love you," he breathed in her ear just as she pulled away.

Kate beamed at him from over her shoulder as she walked towards the stairs. "You too," she responded before climbing the spiral staircase. As soon as she opened the door to the dormitory a pillow flew in her face.

"Five minutes my arse!" Said Angelina, but she was grinning. "Now get over here and save me from all of this chocolate!"

X X X

Kate's first class of her Seventh Year happened to be her favorite. The large Charms classroom was set up for a practical lesson as she came into the room with Ian. He'd managed to snag her away from her usual group at the breakfast table, bent on discussing the problems he'd been having with the new romance columnist. Kate felt a small pang of longing for her former position on the paper. Last year her job had been all about showing up at social events, investing in the gossip mill, and digging deep into the average Hogwarts student's psyche. This year, Kate could already tell she'd be spending the majority of her time talking Ian off his proverbial ledges even more than she usually did.

The end result of their meeting left Ian a happier person and Kate hastily scarfing down a couple pieces of toast before the first bell rang through the castle. Ian in tow, she hurried along the halls towards Flitwick's classroom, disappointed that she didn't get a chance to see George for more than two minutes at breakfast and wouldn't likely see him tonight owing to the senior staff meeting for the paper.

"Kate!" Alicia waved at her from across the classroom where she'd set her things on one of the long tables that lined the wall. Gratefully, Kate departed from Ian's company and dropped her bag on the table. "Remind me to never eat chocolate with Angelina when she's upset, ever again."

A smirk curled up Kate's lips as she swept her abundant hair over one shoulder. Splitting the champagne strands into three sections, she wove it into a loose braid and tied it off with the elastic around her wrist. "Tell me about it, I had the worst stomach ache this morning."

"Me too, I'm going to be regretting it all day," moaned Alicia and rubbed her bleary eyes, trying her best not to smudge her mascara. Kate leaned up against the table and fished under the collar of her shirt until she pulled out her compass necklace. The arrow spun around until it pointed directly away from her. Lifting up her eyes, she found George and Fred deep in conversation as they strolled in from the door.

Both boys didn't miss a beat in their fluid and synchronous movements as they dropped their bags on the table. George's hazel eyes zeroed in on the compass in Kate's hand and she hastily shoved it back under her shirt. He merely chuckled. "Am I going to have to speak with Ian about drafting a shared custody agreement?" He said jokingly, leaning against the table next to her.

Kate gave a half-laugh that was drowned out by the bell ringing. Professor Flitwick tottered up the steps to look over the top of his podium. "Good morning class and welcome to NEWT charms. I'm sure you all had a very relaxing summer, and I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but this year will consist of the most difficult coursework you've had thus far. Your exams are critical to your future careers, whatever you choose them to be," he said sharply as the twins coughed to cover their laughter. "So with that in mind, today we'll be refreshing our memories by practicing the spells you all should have mastered last year."

Flitwick raised his short arm and waved his arm at the two chalkboards behind him. Pieces of chalk rose from the trays beneath the boards and began looping across the surface. Spell after spell scrolled down both boards. "We are a uneven this term, so everyone split off into groups of three. Take turns practicing on one another."

Alicia and Kate looked at each other but a hand shot out, closing over Alicia's wrist. "Come on, let's partner up," said Angelina and looked to Kate expectantly. George's hand pressed up against hers, placing Kate in an uncomfortable position.

"Kate, why don't you work with the twins, we'll manage Lee. That should ensure nobody blows up the classroom," suggested Alicia, narrowly saving Kate from an awkward decision. Thank Merlin for Alicia Spinnett, thought Kate and she pushed herself away from the table, ambling over to where Fred staked out a spot for them in the far corner of the room, right next to the classroom's second door. The solid wood door stood slightly ajar, allowing a small rush of air from the draftier hallway into the warm classroom.

Kate twirled her wand between her fingers and she turned back to the board, squinting to make out Flitwick's miniscule handwriting. "Looks like we're starting with motion based charms again," she said.

In the center of the classroom Flitwick conjured several large cushions for use. "I'll go grab a couple," said George and left Kate with Fred.

The two of them went to stand near the door. "Did she say anything about me last night?" Fred asked suddenly.

Surprise colored Kate's features and she crossed her arms over her chest, tapping her wand against her side. "Fred, you're not seriously asking me to get in the middle of your fight with Angelina, are you?"

A pink flush crept up from the collar of his shirt. Hastily, Fred raked his fingers through his hair and waved her off dismissively. "No," he said, drawing out the word unnecessarily. "Nah, of course I'm not."

"Good," replied Kate impishly. "Because even if I was willing to get in the middle I wouldn't tell you that the only reason she's mad is because you haven't apologized. And I would never dream of accidentally letting it slip that she missed you way more than she's letting on," said Kate, refusing to make eye contact with him.

It was Fred's turn to cross his arms over his chest and arch an eyebrow at her. "Well aren't you just the epitome of unhelpful?" He teased and Kate winked back at him.

The sound of footfall in the hallway interrupted her train of thought and Kate was about to shut the door when she heard a familiar voice. "How did you allow this to happen, Albus?"

Fred and Kate shared a confused look, their eyes narrowing in unison. Both of them pressed themselves closer to the door, daring to peer through the crack. Professor McGonagall and Professor Dumbledore stood in the hall, within a few strides of the doorway. A frown turned down Fred's lips as George approached and he held a hand up to hush his twin. "I think we both know I didn't have much of a choice, Minerva," their headmaster replied.

A tiredness clung to Professor Dumbledore's voice, and Kate realized with a jolt that this was perhaps one of the first times she'd ever heard him speak outside of addressing the student body as a whole. "I've read that woman's history with the ministry and I can promise you that she'll cause nothing but trouble while she's here."

Kate's arms broke into goose bumps at the warning in Professor McGonagall's voice. "Oh, I can assure you that Delores Umbridge intends to cause as much trouble as possible during her tenure with us. But the decision to hire her was beyond my hands as you well know. Besides, I think ultimately we may find her to be quite useful, in the end."

George shuffled closer to Kate and Fred. The three of them shared a dark expression. Fred, as carefully as possible, opened the door just a fraction wider. Kate didn't even want to know what they looked like, huddled around the open door. But she didn't really care. "You know she'll make Potter's life miserable, isn't that reason enough to show her the door?"

"Harry needs to learn how to handle opposition, he'll be facing much worse than Delores Umbridge over the course of his life," reasoned Professor Dumbledore.

Kate could see Professor's McGonagall's lips draw into a thin line, creating severe lines on her already severe face. She drew her arms behind her back and clasped her hands together, balling her fingers into frustrated fists. "I still don't like this," muttered Professor McGonagall.

Neither did Kate, but a burning curiosity bubbled into her veins and the possibilities began swirling around in her brain. Connections began popping up in Kate's mind, and she wondered who she'd have to write to get a hold of Umbridge's ministry record including the committees she'd served on, the departments she'd worked for, and why of all people she seemed to hate Harry Potter. Words of a half-dozen articles started flying across the pages of her mind, and Kate wondered what it would take to convince Ian to run a story about the new Defense professor.

"You will keep an eye on Harry, won't you?" Asked Professor Dumbledore.

"Of course I will, as much as I can," she replied.

"Miss Kelley, Mr. and Mr. Weasley!" Professor Flitwick's voice jarred them back to attention. "Unless the three of you are demonstrating a new manner of wand work for a summoning spell, I'd suggest you get to work?"

A flush burned Kate's cheeks and she nodded. On either side of her the twins just grinned lazily and brandished their wands, completely unconcerned by their teacher's irritation. "Sorry, sir," said George with enviable confidence.

"Right on it," added Fred. With a flourish he turned to Kate and spread his arms wide, inviting her to do her worst. "Ladies first, Miss Kelley."

Rolling her eyes, Kate raised her wand to perform a locomotor spell. But all lesson long she couldn't get the conversation she'd heard out of her head.

**A/N: Suspicious Kate! Angry Angelina! George and Kate are still adorable! Fred is an ass!**

**Next chapter features: the News Dungeon, quidditch and snogging!**

**Seriously you guys, leave some love. I am in the lowest circle of hell studying for the bar and I could use allll the positive feedback, constructive criticism, and love you've got!**

**Much love - Brose**


	4. In Defense of Letting it Go

**A/N: I survived the Bar Exam! Whether I passed is a totally different story and I won't find out for another five-ish weeks. In other news...my wedding is this Saturday. As of Saturday night I'll be married and I am so, so, so ready!**

**I'm not entirely happy with parts of this chapter. Some of it is filler, some of it is subtle setup, and some of it is pure fluff. I did enjoy writing the stuff with Ian and with George though! They are definitely my favorite characters to write outside of Kate. So enjoy this behemoth chapter, clocking in at nearly 8,000 words!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. If I did I wouldn't be freaking out about how I'm going to pay back my student loans.**

**Chapter 3:**

**In Defense of Letting it Go**

Alicia couldn't imagine a worse possible start to her seventh year. As she walked out of Defense Against the Dark Arts with Kate and Angelina, all three girls were in a sort of stupefied silence. "That actually happened, right? I'm not making that up?"

"Oh, it happened," muttered Angelina darkly. "How on earth are we going to pass our NEWTs if we won't be practicing defensive spells all year long?" Alicia bit her lower lip and shrugged. Concern nagged at the corners of her mind, she'd banked on having a competent Defense teacher for this final year. NEWT Defense was difficult and after reviewing the list of possible test subjects for the exam, her nerves only increased tenfold.

On her right side, Kate was unusually silent, but Alicia could see her best friend's grey eyes were as hard as steel. "Maybe we'll be able to practice in one of the other teacher's classrooms during free periods," suggested Alicia.

Alicia hadn't expected much out of her first lesson with Professor Umbridge, not after the rumors she'd heard from students in lower years. The story of Umbridge giving Harry Potter a full week's worth of detention reached every possible nook and cranny in the castle within the matter of a day, leaving no doubt in Alicia's mind that Kate had been right their first night back. Umbridge meant business and she wasn't so easily deterred by the obstinance of teenagers. "But why?"

Angelina's question echoed uncertainly between the three girls. "I think the ministry doesn't want us trained to defend ourselves," said Kate in a low voice.

Angelina snorted in disbelief and shook her head. "That's rubbish, Kate. Why wouldn't the ministry want us to be capable in self-defense?"

"Because the ministry doesn't see it as self-defense," she replied. Alicia's eyebrows snapped together, turning to get a better look at Kate. The accusation hung heavy in the air. Everyone knew that the Ministry was suddenly quite heavily invested in the student body, but surely that was a line too far.

"What would the ministry see it as then?"

Kate's face darkened, but she didn't have time to answer. An arm slung over her shoulder and Alicia felt her face redden to see Ian Haynes strolling next to them. She could never understand how Kate so blithely ignored Ian's incredible good looks and charming nature, but she clearly did as she pushed his arm off her shoulder. "Afternoon, ladies," he said inclining his head to both Alicia and Angelina. "Kate, can you meet me later in the day?"

She nodded and tucked a stray curl of champagne hair behind her ear. "No problem, I was going to head to the Dungeon after classes to edit anyway."

Ian's face split into a stunning smile. "Perfect, see you then."

Just as easily as he appeared, Ian was gone, blending into the crowd of students. Angelina watched him go, her lips softly parted. "I don't know how you don't snog the daylights out of him every chance you get," she said.

Kate snorted in unattractive laughter and rolled her eyes. "Been there, done that," she replied candidly. "Besides, in case you've forgotten, I love George."

Predictably, a scowl dropped the corners of Angelina's mouth. "Right, I forgot that you and Mr. 'I wrote twice as much as Fred' are still the textbook definition of the perfect couple."

Kate's mouth dropped open in time with Alicia's. The two girls whipped their heads to look at Angelina who flushed angrily in response to their shocked stares. The flow of students carried them towards the Great Hall and as they filed towards the double doors, Alicia was starting to regret her belief that things couldn't get worse. Because unfortunately, Angelina's temper could always get worse.

To Alicia's great relief, Kate chose to ignore Angelina's snipe and instead hitched her bag higher on her shoulder. Alicia noticed, again, the pensive look on Kate's face. She'd been that way since the term started, always lost in her own train of thought. More than once Alicia wondered if something more happened to Kate during her summer away, but she didn't even know how to ask such a personal question. They were best friends, but Alicia never pried when she didn't have to.

"I mean honestly," said Angelina darkly, prattling on. "This term couldn't possibly go worse. Classes are horrid, Potter's got detention every ruddy night this week, we've got no good prospects for keeper, and Fred is walking around this school like nothing's gone wrong!"

Alicia pulled away just time for Kate to slam her books down hard on the table. A few feet away a couple of first years started so hard one of them knocked her orange juice over. "Merlin's beard Angelina! Would you just let it go! So what Fred was rubbish this summer and only wrote three times! He's apologized to you like eight times this week. What more do you want? I swear Ang if you don't get your head out of your arse it's going to be you left high and dry and not the other way around."

Without a word, Kate gathered her things, spun on her heel and strode out of the Great Hall. Angelina gaped at her retreating back. "What the hell was that?"

Alicia merely shrugged. "She kind of has a point," she muttered. "Though I wouldn't have said it quite so forcefully." A darkness hung over the girls as they started in on dinner.

X X X

"Well, that's total rubbish," muttered Kate under her breath. Using red ink, she crossed out an awkwardly worded sentence and scribbled a correction above it. Sighing, she read through the sentence again, and when she was satisfied, Kate moved her cover page another line down, continued to pour over the text of the article she was currently editing. At this point, Kate wasn't even sure what she was reading about, she just cared about fixing the errors and poor writing style contained within the article's text.

Tapping the tip of her nose with the end of her muggle pen, Kate adjusted her reading glasses and blew out a long sigh. She'd been sitting in the News Dungeon since classes let out for the day, working on her share of the line-by-line edits. Ian promised he'd stop by after he finished tutoring a second year in charms. Until then, she contented herself to pull her hair into a sloppy knot at the back of her head and immerse herself in familiar and comfortable work.

In fact, sitting in her usual spot at the high table in the News Dungeon, Kate felt more at home than she had all week long. Kate struggled to pin point the source of her discomfort with being in the castle. Maybe it was because Kate knew this was her last year, and soon she couldn't hide behind these walls for protection. Perhaps it was because her classes all had a distinctly tense feel to them, likely owing to the increasingly stringent restrictions placed on not only the students, but apparently the faculty as well. Then again, Kate thought perhaps the rough start to the year had everything to do with all of the conflicting aspects of her personal life. Kate didn't like keeping secrets from anyone, but she especially hated keeping secrets from George. Only the other night he'd asked Kate what her prospects were at getting a job offer. Kate found herself babbling some incoherent reasons for why she felt confident, but later that night as she lay in bed, the guilt consumed her.

The majority of Kate's rational mind understood why she couldn't tell George about the conditions of her job offer. Kate received fair warning from Finn, her father, and her sister that tangling George up in this mess would not only put an enormous burden on George, but it would likely cause irreparable discord between Kate and his family. Joining the Order of the Phoenix was more than just agreeing to agree that You-Know-Who was a pretty terrible guy who did some pretty terrible things. No, joining the Order meant joining the resistance, it meant agreeing to stand up and fight for those beliefs. Joining the Order meant drawing the battle lines and picking a place to make a stand.

Just the thought of a decision of that magnitude caused Kate's stomach to roll uncomfortably. Placing her hand over her abdomen, Kate grimaced as the bell rang. Forcibly, she turned her attention back to her line edits, moving the cover sheet down another line, then another, and then another until the sound of football behind Kate told her she was no longer alone. "My, my, don't we look studious this evening," said Ian.

Her Editor-in-Chief took a seat next to her and peered over her shoulder. "There's a split infinitive right there," he said, pointing to the error a few lines up.

Furrowing her brow, Kate's eyes swept through the sentence one more time. "I know," she said, remembering her initial reason for leaving it there. "The split infinitive isn't as evil as it used to be," reasoned Kate. "In fact, sometimes it adds better dramatic emphasis or gives the sentence a better flow," she rattled off to him.

Ian smirked, but didn't budge. Instead he rest is elbows on the table and his chin in his hands. "Thanks, Professor Kelley for that enlightening lecture."

"Do you have a reason for being here? Or do you just enjoy mocking me?" Enquired Kate, now losing her patience with her best friend.

Predictably, Ian turned the full force of his pearly white grin on Kate. Two years ago she would have lapped up every second of it. Now she playfully shoved the palm of her hand up in his face, gently pushing his head back. "I just enjoy mocking you."

Of course he did. "Then maybe you should go so I can finish this article up and get out of here by a decent hour."

Ian's devious smile widened. As he spoke he loosened the knot on his blue and bronze tie. "Weasley waiting for you, then?"

Kate shrugged noncommittally, if he was going to annoy her to no end, then Kate could dish the medicine right back at Ian. The boy pouted just enough for Kate to see it through her peripheral vision. The bad thing about Ian Haynes was that Kate found it almost impossible to be angry with him.

"Actually I do have a reason for dropping by," he said somewhat cagily.

Leah stat back and crossed her arms over her chest. "Now you have my attention."

Ian opened the flap of his leather messenger bag and pulled out a thick leather-bound portfolio. Kate waited as he rifled through several sheets of parchment and paper until he pulled out a few loose sheets of parchment, filled to the brim with familiar handwriting. Kate arched an eyebrow and looked at the completely clean copy of the article she'd given him two nights before. Not a single marking or edit marred the page, a far cry from Ian's normal habit of bleeding all over every article he read. "Okay, I know I'm a good writer, but I'm not that good," she said.

"The Ministry of Magic's sudden interest in the curriculum and educational methodology at Hogwarts, at first blush, appears to be borne from a genuine desire to help mold the great minds of tomorrow. But, is that really the Ministry's endgame? By announcing its newfound right to hire professors—a job previously vested in the Headmaster alone—the Ministry is sending a clear message not only to Hogwarts, but to its constituency as a whole that it is no longer content to stand on the sidelines and let greater minds do the teaching." Ian read aloud from her article, his voice lending a nice authoritative ring to the words. Kate set her editing pen down on the table and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Is there something wrong with it?" She enquired, genuinely confused as to why Ian felt the need to parrot her own writing back to her.

"On its face? No, your writing is impeccable, as usual," said Ian. He placed the article on the table between them. The parchment seemed to stretch across the chasm between them, reminding Kate that they'd had very different experiences over the summer. Since their return, Ian had been fidgety and cagey, unwilling to talk about his summer with Kate. "But I can't publish it."

Kate's mouth fell open. Never, not even once in their partnership had Ian refused to publish something Kate wrote. Sure, he'd edit the daylights out of her articles until the shone, but Ian never pulled an article of hers before. "What? Why?"

Her demand echoed between them, travelling across the miserably tense air. Ian covered his face with his hands and groaned into them, clearly unhappy with the turn of the conversation. "Kate, you go on to accuse the ministry of unnecessarily interfering with Professor Dumbledore and not-so-subtly suggest that the Ministry is overstepping its boundaries and that its time is better spent governing, something which you believe its failed to do over the past few months."

"And you don't agree?" Persisted Kate. "Ian, did you read the Ministry decree? Fudge all but announced his intention to get into a fight with Dumbledore, one he's not going to win by the way."

Ian rolled his eyes and pushed the article towards Kate. "It's not my job to make that judgment call, and it's not yours either."

"Not my job," deadpanned Kate, disbelieving what she was hearing. "Not my job? Of course it's my job! You asked me to write features and cover stories for the paper this year. And this?" She picked up the article and shook it slightly at him. "This is news, this is fishy behavior from an increasingly power-hungry ministry."

Ian flushed an unattractive shade of fuchsia and pressed his palms flat on the table. "Kate, I'm not going to incite a mass controversy among the students by publishing this. You can write about the decree to your heart's content, but you can't go around accusing the Ministry of having ulterior motives."

"It's the government, Ian. Politicians _always_ have ulterior motives," she snapped. Fury crackled in the air between them. Several moments of tense silence passed between them. Kate frowned and started packing her things up, unwilling to stay in the News Dungeon with Ian when he was in one of his moods and she was in one of hers. "Why are you really doing this Ian?" She asked at last, her voice quiet over the words.

Ian stiffened, crossing his arms mechanically over his chest. His defensive posture bothered Kate, she'd never seen him so on edge before. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Kate pushed her edits and materials into her bag. As she began to put her jewelry back on, she blew out an exaggerated sigh. "What I mean, is are you doing this because you genuinely don't want to get us in trouble? Or are you doing this because you don't want to rock the boat with potential employers?"

Thunder clouded Ian's handsome face. Clenching his hands over his upper arms, he bowed his head to hide his fury. Kate couldn't remember if they'd ever had a fight like this before. "I'm not publishing it Kate, you know just as well as I do that if it falls into the wrong hands you'll get more than a slap on the wrist."

"So you're doing it to protect me," she said flatly.

"That's one way to look at it," he said softly. "Look, I heard the rumors about that Umbridge woman while I was at the _Prophet_ this summer, she means business. Don't think for a second she won't come down on you with all of her might if she catches you writing things like this," he waved the article in Kate's face for good measure. Swatting it away, Kate got to her feet, roughly shoving her stool back under the table.

"I'm not afraid," she said, but it was a lie and they both knew it.

"Kate, not all of us were lucky enough to work for a publication that encourages pushing the boundaries and questions authority. You may have gotten to experience the full freedom of speech this summer, but you're home now and like or not we can't go around publishing the first stream of accusations that come to mind."

That shut her up. Offense and hurt welled up in Kate's lungs. This was not her best friend. The old Ian would have never questioned her motives or intentions. "Fine," she said softly, slinging the strap of her bag on her shoulder. "I'll give you a re-write tomorrow."

Kate started to walk away when Ian closed his hand over her wrist. "Kate, come on, this isn't personal."

Swallowing her pride, Kate turned her face toward him, wishing that her eyes wouldn't betray her total disappointment in him. "No, of course not," she struggled to keep her tone even. "I've got to go, I promised Alicia I'd meet up to go over our potions homework."

Without looking over her shoulder, Kate walked out of the News Dungeon. As she passed through the stone archway, she raised her fingers to the shadows beneath her eyes and wiped away the foolish wetness that clung to her lower lashes. Kate paused and pushed her back up against the wall, taking several deep breaths until her breathing steadied and she could think clearly again. For what felt like the hundredth time that week, Kate found herself wishing she hadn't come back for this final year at all.

X X X

The last time Kate saw the quidditch pitch had been in the chaos of the Third Task. As she walked with Lee down one of the rows to get prime seating near the goal posts, she found the scene an odd one. It was as if nothing happened only two months ago. All evidence of the maze was gone, replaced by the usual smooth lawn, painted with the white boundary lines. Three goal posts rose on either side of the stadium and the Hogwarts house pennants snapped in the breeze, highlighted by the bright lights that shone down on the stadium.

"Do you know who all is trying out?" Kate asked Lee.

"Nope, Ang didn't put a list together, just an open call for tryouts," he replied over his shoulder. He stopped on the second row, to the right of the goalposts. Kate sat next to him and stretched her legs out into the space in front of her, kicking her muggle converse sneakers to rest on the first row bench.

"I can't imagine trying out for this team," she muttered and lifted her eyes to the sky. Above her, Kate could see Angelina, Katie, and Alicia throwing the quaffle back and forth weaving back and forth across the field. The twins were on the ground, speaking to one another while they stretched out.

Leah nodded. "It's a solid line, but without Wood as keeper they're definitely weak. There's only so much that Fred and George can do to protect the goal."

Kate set her hands behind her, shaking her ponytail to fall between her shoulder blades. "Come to think of it, why don't you ever try out?" Kate asked Lee.

"Me?" Lee's response echoed his surprise.

"Yeah you," she said with a teasing smile. "I've seen you fly with the twins before, you're pretty good."

Lee pointed towards the sky, gesturing to the perfectly executed dive Alicia took to go after the quaffle. "I'm not that good. Besides, I love sports, but I'm much happier calling the plays from the sidelines."

Kate didn't reply for a while. "Potter still in detention with Umbridge?"

Lee's face pulled into a tight grimace and he nodded. "If he doesn't learn how to shut his mouth he'll be out all season." Kate shifted her body, drawing her knees up and resting her elbows on them. Tilting her head to look at Lee she arched a curious eyebrow.

"She can't do that, can she?"

Lee's scowl intensified and he ran his hand over his messy dreadlocks. "I wouldn't be so sure."

The twins kicked off and took to the air, joining the girls in a warm-up ring. They passed the quaffle back and forth and Kate could see them talking and laughing as they worked. Below, a small knot of Gryffindor hopefuls began to grow. Kate could see that they ranged in size from tiny second years to a couple of rather burly seventh years. "Quite the assorted crew down there," said Kate.

Lee followed her gaze and began to point out the various flaws he could see in each player. She half-listened, tapping her toes on the wood flood boards. Kate understood the basic mechanics of quidditch, she had to in order to keep the company she did. Being friends with half of the Gryffindor team often found Kate stuck in the middle of heated quidditch-based discussions that she usually followed for a grand total of two minutes before her boredom kicked in. While Lee droned on and on about the proper physique necessary for expert goal-keeping and the gaping hole that Oliver Wood left in the team, she amused herself by combing through the knot of hopefuls on the pitch.

"They look nervous," she noted, feeling sorry for the group as a whole. Lee paused and chuckled.

"They should be, you couldn't pay me to go up against Angelina when she's in one of her moods."

Kate rolled her eyes and tugged on the sleeves of her gray long sleeved shirt. "Yeah, and this one's been going strong for almost a week now. Add her sudden maniacal streak and she's likely lethal." Lee chuckled and nodded. Two rows in front of them, Kate watched as Hermione Granger and Neville Longbottom took seats. The bushy haired girl looked over her shoulder at them, she offered a shy smile to Kate.

"Come join us," she said, motioning for the two fifth years to come over. Neville's face turned a particular shade of scarlet. Next to her, Lee coughed under his breath and said something that sounded a lot like '_seriously?_' "What? It's the nice thing to do," she hissed at Lee under her breath.

Besides, she thought as she watched Hermione cajole Neville into getting to his feet, Kate rather liked Hermione when she wasn't terrorizing everyone with her elf-rights campaign. "Thanks," she said with a breathless smile, dropping to sit next to Kate. "Kate, Lee, do you know Neville?"

Lee's lips turned up into a wicked grin. "'Course I do," he said amiably and offered a hand for Neville to shake. "Though I doubt you've meet the illustrious Miss Kelley."

Kate had the sudden urge to yank Lee's head back by the dreadlocks. Fighting the twitching in her fingers, she instead held a hand out to Neville. "Hi, it's nice to meet you," she said with what she hoped was a winning smile.

"You too," he said somewhat softly.

Almost immediately, Hermione engaged Kate in conversation, asking all about New York. Rubbing the back of her neck awkwardly, Kate offered a small grin. "It was really great, having that freedom," she admitted. In the past several days, Kate felt suffocated by the rules and rigidity of being back in school.

"I'll bet," snorted Lee. "If I spent an entire summer running wild in two big cities I'd never want to come back here."

Hermione absently toyed with the end of her French braid. "Do you think you'll go back to New York? After you finish school?"

Kate's blood froze. She stilled and her eyes widened in response to the question. She could feel Lee's intense gaze settle on her. Turning her head toward where George and Fred were weaving back and forth across the pitch, she felt her stomach turn over uncomfortably. When she was halfway across the world it was easy for Kate to say that she could easily move to New York. Now that she was back with George? It was an entirely different story.

"I don't know yet," she whispered. "It just depends if they give me a job offer or not."

Hermione nodded, keeping her diligent gaze locked on Kate. "I imagine it'd be an amazing opportunity for you," she said wisely.

Her father's words echoed in Kate's mind. Overhead, George and Fred were whacking a bludger back and forth, racing the ball across the pitch. She frowned. "Yeah," she said wistfully. "The opportunity of a lifetime."

Hermione opened her mouth to speak, but a flash of red hair cut her off.

"Sorry I'm late," said Ginny Weasley breezily. She pushed her bag off her shoulder and slumped down onto the bench in front of them. "Colin Creevey was my potions partner today and he managed to melt our cauldron, Snape made us both stay late to clean it up."

Everyone winced in sympathy but Ginny just shrugged her shoulders and gracefully swept her curtain of thick hair behind her narrow shoulders. Her brown eyes swept over the odd assortment of Gryffindors and her lips broadened into a welcoming smile. "Hey Kate," she said. "Came to give my brother a little extra cheering on?"

Lee, Hermione, and Kate all choked on their surprised laughs. "Like his ego needs any boosting," joked Kate sarcastically, earning Ginny's amused grin.

"You're probably right, I don't fancy being a tryout for keeper though," she said and looked down on the pitch. Kate followed her eyes and her jaw dropped at the same time as Ginny swore colorfully and Hermione squeaked in surprise.

There, in the middle of the crowd stood an undeniable figure. "I had no idea he even wanted to try out," muttered Neville. "He hasn't said anything all week."

Kate watched as Ron Weasley clutched his broom tightly to his chest with one hand and nervously ruffled his hair with the other. He kept his head ducked down, trying to avoid anyone noticing him as he shifted his weight from foot to foot. Kate turned her attention skyward and shook her head just a little. "Merlin's beard, the twins are going to _murder_ him," she muttered.

On her right, Hermione groaned and covered her face with her hands. "I'm not sure I can even watch. But that certainly explains why he wanted a broom for being made prefect."

Angelina blew her whistle, calling attention to the hopefuls on the pitch. Kate watched as she and the rest of the team descended to down to land on the grass, forming a semi-circle. Though she couldn't hear everything Angelina said, it didn't matter much. Because everyone in Kate's little group was focusing on the way the twins' faces lit up at the sight of their little brother trying to duck behind a pair of particularly burly sixth years, in a pitiful attempt to hide himself.

One by one, Angelina called the potential keepers to the air. Kate watched as the chasers each lobbed four shots across the pitch, aiming for different hoops and trying to outwit the keeper. For the most part it was abysmal to witness. "I thought the point of the game was to _catch_ the quaffle," she noted at one point as a small third year boy missed the sixth quaffle in a row.

"It is," groaned Lee.

Hermione bit her nails nervously and craned her neck to watch as the line before Ron began to dwindle. "Oh this can't go well," she muttered.

One of the twins hit a hard bludger toward another player and everyone winced as it hit the boy in his stomach, sending him careening backwards through his own goal hoop. "Maybe the twins will go easy on him?" Neville suggested in a false-hopeful voice.

Ginny didn't bother to tone down her laughter. "Not a chance."

At long last, Ron took the air. Kate knew nothing about the qualities of a good flier or the intricacies of excellent goal-keeping. But she did know the general signs of a panic attack and for a split second, she swore Ron was in the midst of one. He hovered uncertainly on his broom and shook his head hard, as if to clear it of all his doubts. "Maybe he'll surprise us," she said. "Maybe he's way better than we all think."

"Or maybe he's going to end up embarrassing himself. Oh, I wish Harry were here," said Hermione frightfully. Kate cautioned a sideways glance at the girl. A bright red flush swirled in Hermione's cheeks and her cinnamon eyes were locked onto Ron, unable to look anywhere else. A tiny smirk curled up the corner of Kate's mouth as she wondered if everyone else in the world knew how Hermione felt about Ron, except for Ron.

Alicia took the quaffle first and went streaking down the length of the pitch. She tossed the quaffle up, got a good grip on it and hurled it towards the goal post. Ron reached a hand out and dove to the left for it. The ball glanced off his fingers, but not quite enough to change the trajectory. Everyone let out a collective groan as the ball sailed through the furthest left hoop.

"Come on Ron!" Shouted Lee through his cupped hands.

"Yeah Ron! You can do it!" Ginny joined in on his encouragement.

Katie slapped five with Alicia and took her turn. She looped around the backside of the goal posts and made to fake Ron out. To Kate's amazement he didn't flinch and relief passed over his face as he caught the quaffle, to the elated cheers of everyone Kate sat with. Hermione was on her feet, hands over her mouth to hide her beaming smile. From her spot, Ginny swiveled around and looked up at Hermione before shooting a knowing look to Kate. "Maybe he just needs a good luck charm," she said with a wink.

"Looks like talent runs in the family," said Lee as Ron saved two more goals in a row.

X X X

Kate walked out of the library on Sunday night, bag slung over her shoulder. After spending the entire evening trudging through her potions and charms homework, she was looking forward to a chance to wind down. Her opportunity came in the form of a note, folded in half and slipped in between the pages of the current chapter she'd been studying in her charms book. George's distinctive scrawl spelled out a simple one sentence command: _Nine o'clock, the usual place_.

So, instead of taking the usual route to the Gryffindor common room, Kate veered off towards the hallway that housed the meeting rooms for the school's various student societies and clubs. Pausing in the atrium that led into the hallway, Kate checked her reflection in a large mirror circled by a gold gilt frame. Hastily she combed her fingers through her tousled waves, letting them spill over her shoulders and she straightened out the plain chambray button down shirt she wore, the first three buttons undone to reveal a narrow sliver of her skin.

Satisfied with her appearance, Kate quickened her step down the hall as the bell rang, signaling curfew for all of the younger students. Kate loved this time of the night, when silence blanketed the castle and she felt the freedom to spend her time the way she wanted to. After the hellacious week she'd endured, Kate felt as though she deserved a little free time to spend in good company. Counting the numbers of the doors as she passed, Kate finally came to her destination.

The door to the Gobstones Club room swung open and she wasn't even remotely surprised to find George waiting for her. The pages in his hand absorbed his full attention, and Kate watched for a moment. She liked the way his hazel eyes zoomed from left to right, moving down with each line of the page. George's brows furrowed in concentration and he absently tapped the toe of his beat up converse sneaker on the floor.

"That must be for the store, otherwise I'd say you're focusing on school way too hard," she teased. George's head snapped up from his work. The serious expression melted away to a grin and he shook his head.

"Not business, surprisingly," he said.

Arching an eyebrow, Kate shut the door behind her. George raised his hand, waving his wand towards the door. She heard the familiar click of a lock falling into place, effectively shutting them in and the rest of the world out. "What is it?"

"It's a letter from my brother, Percy."

Kate's mouth fell open in surprise. "As in ditched-your-family-thinks-you're-a-irresponsible-idiot Percy?"

George smiled grimly at her and nodded, clenching the parchment a little tighter in his hands. Overcome with curiosity, she crossed the room to sit next to him on the table. "The one and the same," said George on a sigh.

"What on earth could he possibly want to say to you?" Kate wondered aloud. Fighting her every impulse the snatch the letter out of George's hands, she instead drummed her fingers impatiently along the surface of the table.

"A whole bunch of rubbish," he said darkly. "Most of it was about how I should avoid Harry Potter and I should be following in his and Ron's footsteps. He made a few vague threats that if Fred and I continued to carry on the way we do that we'll end up just as bad off as my parents and that he would hate for us to end up with the same reputation."

Kate made a disbelieving sound. "Why on earth would he waste his time writing to you about such utter nonsense? Especially since he's written you off as being a hopeless case?" She asked, immediately jumping to George's defense. He shrugged and glared at the letter. Daring to peer over at the contents, Kate could see Percy's neat, almost mechanical, handwriting. The stiffness of his style betrayed the pompousness in his character. Kate couldn't claim to know Percy well; she was fairly certain that short of him taking points off her during her third year, she'd never spoken more than three words to George's older brother.

"Ah, yes. I was wondering that too until I got to this part," said George. A slight smirk turned up his lips and he held the letter out. Kate stifled a giggle as he pretended to clear his throat, puffing his chest out in a mock-authoritative manner. "_While I hope you will take advantage of your final year at Hogwarts to undo your past wrongs and build relationships with some of its newer, upstanding professors, I must heartily congratulate you on a relationship I hear you've already made. Word has reached me that for the past several months you've been in a romantic relationship with Katherine Kelley, Healer Theodore Kelley's middle daughter. I must say that I'm quite impressed by your high caliber in taste. Katherine comes from an impeccable family line whose reputation speaks volumes of their high character and loyalty to the wizarding community. I would advise you to make the most of that relationship, George, and to allow Katherine to be your guide to finding a more suitable life path. Of course I would expect you will be respectful so as to not tarnish Katherine's sterling reputation, or her family's. Again, I must commend you on such a wonderful choice, don't mess it up!_"

Kate's skin crawled. "Katherine?" She echoed, dumbfounded. "We've never said more than half a sentence to each other and suddenly I'm Katherine?" Holding her hand out for the letter, George passed it off to her, trying not to smirk at her. Kate reread Percy's words, absolutely stunned. "Ugh I feel so violated, what the bloody hell does coming from an impeccable line mean?"

Chuckling, George gently pried the letter from her fingers. He refolded the parchment back into its original trifold. With a sharp jerk he ripped the parchment in half, and then ripped the pieces apart after that. He balled it all up in his fist and turned around, dropping the confetti onto the table. Whipping his wand out of the back pocket of his jeans, George pointed the tip at the pile. The parchment slips burst into flames and seconds later there was nothing left but a thin dusting of ash. "He's a git."

The weakness in George's conviction suggested that the letter was bothering him more than he cared to admit. "What's wrong with being friends with Harry and turning out like my parents anyway? They're a damn sight happier than most married couples who have all the money in the world."

"They're probably far happier than Percy is," pointed out Kate wisely. George used his wand to vanish the ash and he lifted himself to sit on the table, bracing his weight by placing his hands behind him. "Though if you're planning on dating me just so you can date my family, I think you should tell me now. Because if that's the case then I'd better start behaving up to the, what did he call it? Caliber of my upbringing?"

To this George raised his eyebrows in conjunction with his sarcastic smile, suggesting that he was less than amused. "I don't give two damns about the caliber of your upbringing and I know you don't either."

"But you do care that he's taken notice," she suggested and drew closer to stand in front of him. "Because if Percy knows then others may find out and others may expect you to do the same thing?"

"To be with you? Maybe," he muttered.

Kate looked up at the ceiling, silently cursing the stubbornness of Weasley men. But as she stood in front of George, Kate drank in the sight of his tousled red hair and well-muscled shoulders, betrayed by the slightest pull of his shirt. Longing built up in her fingertips to reach out and touch him. A devious smirk touched her lips and she took a couple more steps towards him, until she stood between his open legs. George started when she placed her hands on his lower thighs. "Well I guess it's a good thing that I'm not interested in having a sterling reputation," she said in a low voice, digging the heels of her hands into his legs and pushing up higher.

Out of reflex, George's hands found her hips, pulling her closer to him. "Is that so?" He wondered aloud.

Kate's hands pushed all the way up George's firm stomach to his chest until she reached his shoulders. She pulled him closer to her, allowing her to nip his earlobe, dragging her teeth along his skin. "What's the point of a sterling reputation? I prefer my life with a little tarnish to it," she whispered throatily in his ear. George's hands put her hips in a death grip as she ran the tip of her tongue along the outer shell.

"Do you want to tarnish it some more?" He managed to say through her seduction.

"Oh I don't know, aren't I supposed to be taking you down a suitable path?" She teased.

At long last, George cracked a genuine smile. Kate's hips bumped against the table and he slid forward, getting closer to her. "The only path you'd better be taking me down is the one that ends with your shirt on the floor," he muttered.

"Someone's anxious," she teased, pressing a series of kisses to the hollow below his ear. George's hands clenched harder on her hips, allowing him to dig his thumbs against the gently protruding bone. Kate would never understand why George's touch had such a potent effect on her, but it certainly did.

"Someone hasn't had a free night to snog his girlfriend in nine weeks," said George in her ear. The low, smoky tone of his voice caused Kate's stomach to tie up in knots over and over again.

Kate drew her lips down his neck before turning her attention to the line of his jaw. "Well luckily for you I'm not nearly as upstanding as your brother thinks I am," she said and her eyes slipped shut as George brought her hips back again, moving them into his.

"You might not be upstanding, but you're causing other things to be," teased George. Kate's eyes fluttered shut as he took her chin between his thumb and forefinger, guiding her to him. Their lips met and Kate drew in a deep breath through her nose, smiling into his mouth.

The entire past week fizzled away, lost in some other reality where Kate never wanted to go. Umbridge's horrible class? Just a figment of Kate's imagination. Ian refusing to publish her article? Who cared. Angelina still refusing to speak to Fred? So not Kate's problem. None of those issues seemed even remotely pressing as George buried his fingers in her hair and drew his tongue across her lower lip. She let him deepen the kiss, her knees buckling. George's arm caged about her waist, holding her up against him.

Kate's feet left the floor as George spun them around and lifted her to sit on the table. She curled her fingers behind his neck and pulled him down to her, their rushed breath coming between fierce kisses. George's fingers caught the joint at her knee and he drew it high against his side, causing the swingy fabric of her skirt to fall back. Rough calluses drug along the outside of Kate's leg, lighting up her nerves in a domino-like succession.

His other hand came down on the curve of her neck, his fingers parsing out the chain of her necklace and following it down the front of her chest. Kate gripped his upper arms, tearing her lips from his. George pressed his forehead to hers, his hazel eyes intent on the direction of his fingers, pushing the sliver of her shirt aside. Shallow breaths escaped her lips as he unbuttoned the next button and the one after that. A heady tension hummed in the air as he worked her shirt aside, revealing her pale purple bra. Kate sat up straighter, kissing the underside of his jaw.

George untucked her shirt and finished unbuttoning it. "You are never, ever leaving for two months again," he muttered and Kate giggled against his neck.

"I'll make a note," she murmured and grasped the hem of his Henley. It went flying over George's shoulder and she turned her attention to his muscle, sliding beneath his smooth skin. A gasp escaped her surprised lips as he cupped her breast, teasing her through the cotton fabric of her bra. Kate lost track of all time as they kissed as though it had been a lifetime since the last time. George hastily shrugged her shirt off her shoulders and it pooled behind Kate.

Minutes or hours could have gone by as George kissed his way down her jaw and collar. Kate dropped her head back as his lips travelled along the length of her breastbone, coming into the valley between her breasts. One of his phenomenal hands disappeared beneath her skirt, tracing along the edge of her cotton knickers. A bevy of reasons surely existed as to why it was a bad idea for them to fool around in the castle, but Kate couldn't come up with a single one as George pushed the straps of her bra off her shoulders.

George's hazel eyes found hers, and they melted into one another. Kate hooked her finger over his belt buckle, drawing his hips back against hers. A series of small explosions went off in the back of her mind, showering stars behind her closed eyes. George captured her face with both of his hand and held her steady, drinking from her lips. Kate let him pull her into a dizzying spiral, and she wondered if she would ever get enough of this feeling.

The curfew bell sounded through the castle halls. "George," she whispered, turning her head to the side to allow him better access to the full length of her bare neck. George nipped her collarbone with his teeth, sending a shockwave through her body. "George we should probably go."

"The bell can sod off," he murmured against her skin.

"The prefects always check these rooms after the last curfew bell," she whispered. "It's going to be pretty fishy when they have to use to magic to unlock the door only to find us like this."

"The prefects can sod off too," he grumbled but pulled back anyway.

Kate tucked one finger beneath his chin and guided his lips back to hers. They shared a soft kiss and when George pulled back he drug a gratuitous thumb across Kate's swollen and bruised lower lip. "Come on, handsome," she teased him. "Let's get upstairs and make sure Angelina hasn't murdered your brother."

Grappling along the table behind her, Kate found her clothes and began to dress. She paused to admire George's form as he turned and walked away to retrieve his shirt. His lithe muscles pulled with each movement and Kate longed to count the freckles that dusted his shoulders. "Hey!" He said with mock affrontment as he turned around and found her staring at him. "I am not a piece of meat, Miss Kelley."

Kate hopped off the table and buttoned her shirt. "No, but the perk of being your girlfriend is I still get to stare at you whenever I want." George looked up at the ceiling but he was grinning anyway when he pulled her into an embrace, rocking their bodies back and forth.

"I suppose it's only fair. After all I walk behind you on purpose all the time in the hallways." Kate smacked his chest and let out a shriek of laughter when he dug his fingers into her sides.

A few minutes later they strolled into the common room, hand in hand. Activity burst at the seams, but there was always one corner where Kate wanted to be. Alicia, Angelina, Lee, Katie, and even Fred were all together. To Kate's immense relief Angelina sat next to Fred, even allowing him to drape an arm over her shoulder. "Oi, where've you two been?' Angelina called as Kate dropped onto the sofa next to Alicia. To Kate's immense relief, Angelina offered her a warm smile, indicating that all was forgiven for Kate's outburst earlier in the week.

George sank onto the plush carpet in front of her, resting his back against her calves. "Snogging each other's brains out, can't you tell?" Said Fred with a pronounced wink.

George tilted his head back to look at Kate who merely smiled impishly at Fred. "A lady doesn't kiss and tell."

**A/N: Kate's grouchy! Ian's a jerk! Ron plays quidditch! Snogging!**

**Next chapter features: Umbridge inspecting Charms, a letter from Finn, and Founder's Day Party!**

**Also y'all are amazing! Thank for all of the follows, favorites and reviews:**

**Vampire-Luver101 – Thank you as always for the love!**

**Sarahmichellegellarfan1 – Thanks for the love, the newest chapter is here now!**

**bellatrixD – I'm glad you liked Kate and George's interaction last chapter. I struggled with how to approach that situation, but I'm really happy with how it turned out in the end. I'm also super happy that you're a George fan in this story, I don't know why but I've always preferred George. And Ian…always, always Ian!**

**GreyHaru – Ahhh thanks for the encouragement on the Bar and good wishes for the wedding! I am beyond excited to have one behind me and the other just around the corner. I'm so glad you loved LEBC and are enjoying ION so far! **

**Let me know what you guys think about this chapter – especially if you have any favorite parts, or what you'd like to see in the future! Much love - Brose**


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